Iron Shadow
by Saberdragon Entertainment
Summary: Over the course of 5 years after Pain's invasion, Konoha is no longer Konoha and Naruto has his own village. At the end of the 5 years, Naruto returns. How will his former Village react and what is his new Village and Ninja style? Naruto/Tenten.
1. Naruto's New Team

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

The Fifth Hokage had a problem.

Five years ago, Konoha was destroyed by Pain. After Pain was defeated, the Village council decided to abandon Konoha. The entire population moved to the nearby Village of Sunagakure which was fortunately spacious enough for Konoha's people to live comfortably. Over the course of the next few months, Suna flourished and the Konoha villagers took on a new name: The Desert Palm Village. Pamugakure, or as it was nicknamed, Pamu, grew to be a healthy sister village to Suna. Only a few miles apart, trade between the Villages blossomed, and both grew much stronger under the leadership of the Kazekage, and the Hokage, a title that Tsunade – after awakening from her coma – decided to keep in honor of Konoha.

Tsunade's problems started seven months after Pain's invasion. Her favorite Genin and "adopted" grandson, Naruto Uzumaki, decided to leave Pamu. He believed that his presence would only attract the Akatsuki. She begged him to stay, but he refused, and told her that she needed to keep the Village safe. One sunny day, Naruto left, and no one had seen him since. Over the years, Suna and Pamu grew even stronger, both becoming the most powerful Ninja Villages in terms of economic strength and foreign policy. Finally, Naruto contacted Suna and Pamu last year in a letter. He told them that he had finally defeated the last of Akatsuki, including Madara Uchiha. However, he also told them that he would not be returning to Pamu. He found people who needed him more, and he founded a new Village for these people. Tsunade did not understand why Naruto had decided to leave everyone, but she figured he knew what was best. Sakura and Hinata had tried to find out the name and location of Naruto's new Village, but they were disappointed when Tsunade told them that Naruto had kept that information hidden, in case the messenger hawk was intercepted.

Upset, Tsunade tried to focus her mind on her job. After Pamu was created, Tsunade decided that she needed to spend almost all of her time making sure that the Village ran smoothly. As a result, Shizune was promoted to Head of the Desert Palm medics. Sakura and Ino were now second in charge of the hospital and all of the medic-nins, including Hinata. However, Sakura left most of the work in Ino's hands, deciding that the blonde was better at running things. Sakura's time was now divided between the medical corp. and tracking down two of her missing friends: Sasuke and Tenten.

Sasuke had been gone for years, having decided that Konoha was holding him back in his quest for power. His missing status was nothing new. Tenten was a different story. The same hawk that delivered Naruto's message to Gaara and Tsunade had brought a third message to Tenten. No one knew what the message said, but after she received it, Tenten left Pamu and hadn't been seen since. So now, Sakura had two friends to find, which led to her current situation.

She was currently immobilized on the ground in the middle of a forest. She and Sai had tracked Sasuke to this location which was about two miles west of where Konoha once was. Unfortunately, they didn't anticipate a surprise attack, which led to her being pinned to a tree by a shower of senbon with Sai unconscious nearby with a senbon to the neck.

"You really thought you defeated me?" her attacker sneered.

"Who are you?" she demanded, not being able to see him.

"That's funny." he chuckled. "I'm surprised you forgot about me."

A man stepped into her view and she got a look at her attacker. He had short, dark green hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a tattered flak jacket over an equally tattered shirt. His pants were black.

"Aoi Rokusho." Sakura said venomoulsy as she recognized the man. "We should have made sure you were dead."

"A mistake that I will not make." Aoi told her. "I will kill you and there's nothing you can do. These senbon prevent you from focusing your chakra. You can't escape."

He drew a short sword from behind his back. He pulled it back and then thrust it towards Sakura's stomach. She closed her eyes in preparation for her death.

"**Metal Style: Steel Curtain Jutsu**!" someone shouted.

Sakura opened her eyes just in time to see a wall of metal shoot out of the ground and intercept Aoi's strike.

"What?" the enraged Jōnin questioned.

"Come on Rokusho, you'll have to do better than that!" the voice taunted.

Sakura froze.

"_That voice. It's so familiar_." she thought to herself.

"So we meet again." Aoi said, smirking.

"Can't say that this is a happy reunion." was the response.

"_Is that Naruto_?" Sakura thought.

"Let her go, now." the voice demanded.

"Why don't you try to rescue her?" Aoi taunted.

Suddenly, Sakura felt the senbon get pulled out of her body almost instantly. Then she felt herself get picked up and moved at an unbelievable speed. She was finally able to get a good look at her rescuer.

"How?" Aoi sputtered.

"Training will do that for you." her rescuer responded.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked.

The man looked down at the woman in his arms and gave her a very familiar grin.

"Who else?" Naruto confirmed.

He had changed, but he was still Naruto. Sakura got a good look at him as he put her down. He no longer wore his orange jumpsuit. Now, he wore a pair of plain black cargo pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots. For a shirt, he wore a black tank top that was tucked into his black belt. Over that, he was wearing a coat similar to the Fourth Hokage's, except that Naruto's was dark red with black flames along the bottom. On his back, Sakura could see the hilt of a sword. On his chest rested a gold necklace with a diamond-shaped ruby in the center. Naruto was also wearing a different headband. The cloth was black, like his old one. But the plate was a much darker gray than the Pamu headbands. And the biggest difference was the symbol. As opposed to Pamu's leaf-spiral, Naruto's headband was engraved with a circle that had an arrow coming out of the top. It was a symbol that she didn't recognize.

"Leave now, or face the consequences." Naruto told Aoi.

"What are you going to do?" Aoi chuckled as he returned his sword to its scabbard. "You can't beat me."

Naruto raised his hand so that his palm was facing the sky. His signature technique, the **Rasengan**, swirled into existence.

"Consequences it is then." Naruto responded.

Aoi laughed even more as he drew more senbon from his jacket. "You think that little lightshow can help you? It's useless due to my **Chakra Absorbing Senbon**!"

"Let's put that theory to the test, shall we?" Naruto said.

Suddenly, his Rasengan's core changed. Instead of being electric blue like the rest of it, the core turned pure silver. Naruto turned his hand so that the Rasengan was pointed at Aoi.

"Here we go," Naruto said, "**Metal Style: Rasengan**!"

The chakra sphere launched off of his hand at Aoi, who didn't expect a long-range attack. The sphere rocketed towards him and slammed into his shoulder, completely tearing off his right arm. The pain seemed to snap Aoi back to reality as he readied to throw the senbon.

"You'll pay for that." he snarled. "I only need one arm to kill you!"

"And what happens when you lose that arm as well?" Naruto asked as he drew his own sword. Sakura was surprised to see the sword. The hilt was simple: a black handle with a black crossbar. But the blade itself was amazing. Instead of being made of steel, the entire blade was made of a single ruby.

"Take this!" Aoi yelled as he threw the needles at Naruto.

"Please." Naruto responded as he brought his blade up. In one fluid motion, Naruto leapt over the senbon, his sword intercepting the needles along the way. As he descended, Naruto brought his sword back and slammed it through Aoi's stomach.

"Survive that." Naruto muttered as he returned his sword to its sheath on his back. Then he made his way back over to Sakura.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" he asked.

"Naruto, I can't believe it's really you." she said.

"Well, believe it, Sakura!" Naruto responded.

"Does that mean you're returning to Pamu?" she asked hopefully.

"I can't, Sakura." he told her. "I have to go back to my Village."

"But, Pamu is your Village!" Sakura insisted.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Naruto told her with a frown. "But Pamu was never my Village, Konoha was. But now, we have a new Village that we can call home because it's exactly what Konoha needed to be."

She gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean, we?"

"My companions on this trip." he told her. Then he reached into his cloak and withdrew a bizarre-looking horn from his back. He turned away from her and raised the horn to his lips before blowing it, sending an unearthly sound across the forest. Suddenly, she heard a rustling of leaves before two figures leapt out of the tress and landed in front of them. Sakura instinctively reached for a kunai, but stopped when she felt Naruto grab her wrist.

"It's okay, they're my friends." he assured her.

Sakura relaxed and took in the appearance of the two newcomers. Both were wearing headbands identical to Naruto's. On the left was a guy about her and Naruto's age, she guessed. He had blue eyes and silver hair that was spiked vertically, not wild like Naruto's. He was dressed the same as Naruto, only his jacket was dark orange with black flames. On his chest was a necklace identical to Naruto's, except that it had an amber jewel in the center. She could see the handle of a sword behind his back.

Next to him was a girl that was also around their age. She wore clothes just like the other two; Sakura assumed that this was their Village uniform. Her jacket was silver with black flames. The silver jacket went well with the girl's icy-blue hair that was tied back in a ponytail and with her necklace, which had a quartz jewel in the center. Her eyes were a shade of silver that matched her jacket. And she too had a sword on her back.

"So this is the famous Sakura Haruno." the girl said as she and the guy looked Sakura over.

"Sakura, these are two of my elites: Ryu Hatake and Polaris Kori." he said as he gestured to the guy and girl respectively.

"Pleased to meet you." Polaris told her as she bowed.

"Ryu Hatake, at your service." Ryu told her as he also bowed.

"Hatake?" Sakura questioned. "Are you related to Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ryu answered. "Kakashi-sama is my father's brother."

"So why are you all here?" Sakura asked, turning back to Naruto.

"Well, for four reasons." Naruto began. "One, I have a meeting with Lady Tsunade and Gaara-san. Two, I have a few things I need to pick-up. Three, Polaris really wanted to see my dad's monument; that's why we're in the area now. We were continuing on our way when we ran into you. And fourth, I really wanted to see all of you, Sakura, and extend an invitation to the entire Rookie, well Nine I guess."

"Invitation?" Sakura questioned. "What invitation?"

"You'll see." Naruto told her. "But like I said, we have to see Tsunade first."

With that, Ryu slung Sai over his shoulder, and the five of them took to the trees, heading for Pamu and Suna.

* * *

That night, the group stopped at the border between the forest and the desert. It wasn't as warm as a forest night, but not as cold as a desert night. Ryu and Naruto started a campfire while Sakura and Polaris created "beds" from leaves for the five of them. As they worked, Sakura thought back to the conversation she had with Naruto on the way there. She had done most of the talking, since he asked her how things were going in Pamu. She had tried to ask about his new Village, but he refused to talk about it until they reached Pamu. After a few minutes, they all were done and were seated around the campfire after Sai was laid down on his "bed".

"So is that your uniform or something?" Sakura asked trying to learn about the village she would hopefully be joining.

"Basically, yes." Polaris answered. "We wear these for everything in place of regular vests."

"Do they provide more protection?" Sakura questioned.

"No." Naruto told her. "The jacket isn't necessary. When we really need to, we wear our armor. However, that little skirmish with Aoi didn't require armor. Neither did our battle with Sasuke and his team. They're too weak to even come close to injuring one of us."

"You fought Sasuke and his team?" she questioned.

"Yeah, about two years ago." Naruto responded. "Unfortunately, they were able to escape. We were too distracted with saving Karin's life."

"Why were you doing that?" Sakura asked.

"Mainly to question her." Ryu answered.

Then Polaris said, "That information led us to our fight with Kisame and Zetsu."

"Which wasn't nearly as hard as their reputations had led us to believe." Naruto finished.

Sakura was surprised at how confident Naruto was about himself and his team. But then again, she hadn't seen him in over four years so she had no idea what he was capable of.

"I wish I was that strong." she muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Polaris told her. "We've had some seriously tough training."

"What kind of training?"

"That we couldn't tell you even if you were part of the Village." Ryu said. "It's part of the Knight Trials."

"What kind of armor do you wear?" was the next question after Sakura decided to try a different approach.

"Sorry, we can't divulge information about it unless you're a part of the Village." Ryu answered apologetically.

"This is a very secretive Village you all belong to." Sakura observed.

"Unfortunately, we have certain preparations that need to be finished before we can "come out of the shadows" so to speak." Naruto explained.

"I'm sorry." she told him. "You've been an amazing one-of-a-kind friend to me and I've been such a jerk to you."

"It's okay, Sakura." he replied. "I forgive you. I'm sure I really annoyed you a lot of the time. And I know that your love for Sasuke gave you a good reason to ignore me. I understand why you did the things that you did and I don't hold it against you."

"That's what I mean." she said, starting to cry. "You're so nice to me, even after what a jerk I've been."

"You haven't been a jerk, Sakura. Like I told you, I understand. Now, please stop crying. I hate seeing you upset, especially at yourself. You're an amazing person yourself. You're smart, you're funny, you're strong, you're humble, and most importantly, you care about your friends and family."

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed as she grabbed him in a large hug.

Naruto held onto her and comforted her for a few minutes. Then, when was finished, she crawled over to her "bed" and fell asleep. The other three quickly joined her.

**A/N: There you have it: the reworked first chapter of my **_**Iron Shadow**_**. I hope you guys like the new version as much as the old one. I apologize for disappointing you Naru/Saku fans, but I did this for the sake of the story. I also apologize for completely ignoring the poll that I put up, but I realized that this was the only way I'd enjoy writing the story now. I feel more comfortable writing this story, and as such, I won't rush through things in an attempt to end it ASAP. I won't bash Sakura or anything, but I just don't like the pairing anymore. Instead, she'll just be a close friend to Naruto. She'll be replaced by Tenten, who I believe would be a better match-up even if I did still like Naru/Saku. I would make it Naruto/Polaris, but I think that would aggravate you all even more, so Tenten it is. You'll be seeing her later. Hopefully you can forgive me, and I hope this doesn't turn you away from the fanfic. My hope is that you're reading for the story, not the pairing. ****Let me know what you think of the changes (good or bad) if you've read the originals, or if you're new to **_**Iron Shadow**_**, let me know what you think of the story itself!**

**Now for my original Jutsu:**

**1. Metal Style: Steel Curtain Jutsu - Allows user to raise a wall of steel as a defense, building material, etc. (As for the name: what can I say, I'm a Steelers fan through and through)**

**2. Metal Style: Rasengan** **- Forms a denser Rasengan that does more grinding damage as opposed to the Wind Style: Rasengan's cutting damage; Can also be launched, turning the Rasengan into a cannonball-like projectile (For visual effect: anyone that has Super Smash Bros. Brawl, just use Sonic in a fight, activate a Metal Box, and do the Spin Dash attack; that's what it looks like)**

**3. Naruto's Headband Symbol: it's basically the Mars sign pointing straight up instead of at an angle**

**4. As for Tenten and Naruto's horn: you'll have to wait until a little later in the story**

**Let me know what you think of the story!**


	2. Naruto's Invitation

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

The next morning, Sakura found herself being woken by a hand on her shoulder lightly shaking her.

"Sakura, it's time to wake up." a voice whispered in her ear.

She opened her eyes and found that Naruto and was the one shaking her. She stood up, stretched, and then looked around the campsite.

"Its morning already?" she asked, surprised. "I feel like I only slept for a few hours."

"You did." Polaris told her. "We got to sleep at about midnight and it's now about six."

"We're a few hours away from Pamu and Suna, so we'll head out now and stop for breakfast in about half an hour." Naruto told her.

"A few hours?" Sakura questioned incredulously. "It's a day-long trip from the two Villages to this border."

"That would be true if we were walking or running." Ryu answered.

"How else would we get there?" Sakura asked.

"We ride." Naruto told her.

Naruto, Polaris, and Ryu each formed a hand sign that Sakura had never seen before.

"Summoning Jutsu!" they exclaimed.

There was a large burst of smoke that filled the campsite. Suddenly, Sakura could hear loud sounds of breathing from more than one source. As the smoke cleared, Sakura found out just what that source was.

The five humans were now joined by four, bipedal lizards. Each one ranged from muddy-brown to black in color and stood about seven feet tall. They had rows of razor-sharp teeth and green-yellow slit-like eyes. Their claws were also very sharp, especially the ones on each of their big toes. These claws were much larger than the rest and were curved. Long, slender tails rested on the ground behind the lizards. Black saddles were on their backs. And each one was wearing a black headband, like Naruto's, around their necks.

One of the lizards walked over to Sakura and leaned down to look her in the eyes. She was terrified as she felt the lizard sniff her through its scaly nostrils. Satisfied, the lizard turned around and walked back over to its companions. It produced a bizarre chirping sound, which the other three answered.

"Naruto," she asked, still afraid, "what are these?"

"Tetsu-Raptors." Naruto answered. "There a species of dinosaur that can only be used by the strongest ninja of our village. But the raptors have to approve of you first, otherwise they won't obey you."

"So do they approve of me?" she asked.

"Yes." Polaris answered. "That female seemed to accept you."

"And we're going to ride these?" Sakura questioned.

"Yep." Ryu said as he swung his legs up onto one of the animals.

Polaris also mounted her raptor as Naruto led the raptor that had sniffed Sakura over.

"It's just like riding a horse." he assured her. "Just place your left foot in the stirrup and swing up onto the raptor's back. Then, place your right foot into its stirrup and take the reins into your hands. However, the reins aren't used to control the animal; they're just for you to hold onto."

She did as she was told and found herself a few feet off the ground on the raptor's back. She could feel the powerful muscles of the animal flexing with the animal's breathing. Once Naruto placed Sai over his raptor's back, he saddled up behind the still unconscious Root shinobi and then he leaned forward so that his mouth was next to the raptor's head.

"We're going to Pamugakure. Are you up for it?" he asked the dinosaur.

The raptor grunted and then turned toward the desert.

"Alright." he said to the group. "Let's move out!"

His raptor started walking into the sand, followed by Polaris and then Ryu. Sakura tensed a bit as she felt her raptor begin to move as well. They didn't walk for long before the four raptors began to pick up speed and soon they were racing across the desert towards Pamu and Suna.

* * *

As Naruto said, half an hour later they stopped for breakfast. As they each dismounted from their respective rides, Sakura released the chakra she had surrounding her legs. At Polaris's suggestion, she had concentrated some chakra in the area to prevent her legs from becoming sore.

"We're a lot closer than I thought." Naruto said looking through a scope. "We'll be at the Village in about an hour."

As he returned the scope to a holster on his belt, Polaris and Ryu started a fire and began cooking some rice and pork for breakfast.

"How was the ride, Sakura-chan?" he asked as he sat down.

"Surprisingly smooth." she answered. "I never once thought I would be riding across the desert on the back of a dinosaur."

"It's definitely an experience." Polaris agreed.

"They're great for transport," Naruto continued as he stood and walked over to his raptor, "but you should see how well they fight."

"That's how we were able to kill Zetsu and the rouge ninjas with him." Ryu added. "It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Raptors are intelligent," Naruto explained as he stroked the reptile's neck, "very intelligent. We're fairly certain that they're the most intelligent creatures after humans, and sometimes they're smarter. They hunt their prey in groups. When they make a kill, they distract you with a raptor right in front of you. You focus only on that raptor because it's the most immediate threat. But while you wait for it to strike, two more attack from either side and tear you apart faster than you can scream."

"Wow." Sakura said. "I'm glad they're on our side."

"Zetsu's men never knew what hit them." Polaris added. "And the raptors were so efficient that we didn't lose a single one."

"Zetsu tried though." Naruto told her. "He managed to land a kunai in the alpha female's shoulder."

"Bad idea." Ryu said.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"She alerted the rest of the pack with a distress call. Within seconds, Zetsu found himself surrounded by raptors." Naruto answered.

"He tried to teleport away, but that's the amazing thing about Tetsu-Raptors." Polaris said. "Once you're surrounded by the whole pack, you're locked in place. You can't move a muscle."

"He tried to sink into the ground, but his technique wasn't working, because the raptors locked the ground under his feet." Ryu explained.

"There was nothing left of him." Naruto added.

"Why didn't you use that to capture Sasuke and his team?" Sakura asked.

"It can only be used on one target at a time." Naruto explained. "That's the weakness. But we weren't really ready to capture Sasuke, Jugo, or Suigetsu because those three need special containment cells that we didn't have at the time.

"But you were able to contain Karin?" Sakura assumed.

"Yes." Naruto answered. "She was only a sensor, not a fighter, so we were able to place her in a regular cell.

"Now, enough about dinosaurs." Polaris told them as she and Ryu brought four plates over. "Breakfast is served."

After they had finished eating and packed up the food ware, the five continued on their journey across the desert. As they rode, Sakura found herself riding next to Polaris. Ryu and Naruto were riding in front of them.

"So, where are you from?" Sakura asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well, as my name suggests, I'm from Yukigakure. I left there when I was about fifteen, trying to learn how to become a better ninja from visiting other Villages. The next year is when I met Naruto-sama, and joined his team." Polaris told her.

"What about Yuki?" Sakura questioned. "Why didn't you return?"

"For the same reason that Naruto-sama didn't return to Pamu; I was needed at our new Village." Polaris answered. "That's why none of us returned home."

* * *

After another hour of riding, the group approached Pamu. At Naruto's command, they dismounted and the raptors disappeared. Then, they entered the Village on foot with Sai being carried by Ryu again.

Pamugakure was a lot different than Konohagakure. The buildings were made of a combination of stone and wood; that wasn't what was different. The different part was the buildings' structures. Each one was built in the shape of a mound, a design which allowed for better temperature control in the harsh desert climate. In fact, the buildings were very similar to Suna's buildings.

As the four of them passed through the gate, they were stopped by Izumo and Kotetsu.

"State your names and purposes for entering the Villages." Izumo told them.

"Kozemoro Ashoji." Naruto answered. "I have a meeting with your Hokage. These three are my guards."

Sakura was confused as to why the two Chunin didn't recognize her, Naruto, and Sai. But before she could say anything, Izumo and Kotetsu stepped back and granted them passage. As they continued into the Village, Sakura decided to ask her question.

"Why didn't they recognize us?"

"It's a special Genjutsu. We don't look like ourselves to them." Naruto answered.

"When did you use it?" she questioned.

"It's been active since we approached the gate." Naruto told her. "You didn't know it was there because Ryu activated it when he was walking behind you."

"And they didn't detect it?"

"No. You have to be very skilled in Genjutsu to detect one of our illusions." Polaris answered.

They walked into the center of the Village, not seeing very many people because of the heat. Finally, they reached the Hokage's building and entered into the cooler indoors, climbing three flights of stairs to the Hokage's floor.

As they walked up to the desk, Sakura saw Ryu form a quick hand sign. She assumed he dropped the Genjutsu. They walked across a lobby and up to a desk. Shizune was seated behind the desk reading some papers.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Shizune asked as she put the papers down.

"We have an appointment with Lady Tsunade." Naruto told her.

As soon as she heard the voice, Shizune's head snapped up to look at the group.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed. She quickly stood and gave him a hug. "Where have you been? We all missed you!"

"I've been busy trying to run a Village." Naruto told her as she let go and stepped back.

"Why are you with Sakura? And who are your friends?" she asked.

"We met up with Sakura on the way here and she decided to tag along." Naruto explained. "This is Ryu and Polaris. They're part of my team."

"Pleased to meet you." Shizune told them as she bowed.

"The pleasure is ours." Ryu responded as he and Polaris bowed back.

"We can catch up later, but we have a meeting to attend." Naruto told Shizune. "But first, can you get Sai to the hospital?" Naruto asked before they went in. "He took a senbon to the neck and needs checked out."

"Of course." Shizune replied, before calling for an assistant. "Kento!"

A shinobi that Naruto didn't recognize showed up and took Sai from Ryu. Then he left, taking the unconscious boy to the hospital.

"Follow me." Shizune said once Kento had left.

She led them down a hallway next to the desk. At the end of the hallway, they could see a pair of large wooden doors.

"Lady Tsunade and Lord Kazekage are waiting for you inside." Shizune told them. She knocked on one of the doors and they heard Tsunade give them permission to enter. Shizune opened the door for them and then stepped back to let them enter. Then she closed the door behind them and then returned to the front desk.

Tsunade was seated at a desk in front of a large window. Across from her, Gaara was seated in a chair with another next to it.

"Welcome to Pamu." Tsunade said to the group.

"Glad to see you again, Naruto-san." Gaara greeted as he and Tsunade stood.

"Great to see you guys too." Naruto said as he and the other three bowed.

"Sakura?" Tsunade questioned. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Sai were tracking down Sasuke."

"We were, but we got into a bit of trouble that Naruto got us out of." Sakura explained. "Then I went with these three back to the Village to get Sai to the hospital."

"And who are you two?" Tsunade asked, turning to the other members of the group.

"I am Polaris Kori." she said as she bowed.

"And I am Ryu Hatake." he said as he mimicked the bow.

"We're a part of Naruto-sama's team." Polaris continued.

"Sama?" Tsunade questioned. "Are you sure you're talking about the knucklehead?"

"Hey, that's Lord Tetsukage to you, old lady!" Naruto shot back.

"Did you just call me old?" the Hokage growled as she turned to face Naruto.

"It's the truth isn't it?" Naruto responded, with a large grin.

When he said this, Sakura knew that Tsunade had snapped. She swung her fist at Naruto at full strength. But, to her, Tsunade, and Gaara's surprise, Naruto caught her punch with one hand.

"Now, now, that's no way to treat a diplomat, Tsunade-sama." Naruto said.

"H-how d-did you do that?" Tsunade stuttered.

"What? That wasn't much of a punch, Lady Tsunade. It was easy to catch." he told her.

"But that was a full strength punch!" she responded.

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Then maybe you are getting old!"

"Enough playing around." Gaara interrupted. "I believe we are here for a reason."

"Right, let's get down to business." Naruto said as the three of them sat down around Tsunade's desk. Polaris, Ryu, and Sakura took a seat on a couch that was against the left wall.

"I requested this meeting for a simple reason." Naruto began. "After my Village of Tetsugakure was founded, I received several inquiries about the Village: where it is, how it's run, who runs it, who lives there, how strong is it, et cetera. None of these inquiries have been answered yet, until now. I came here with an invitation for the two of you to make the journey to Tetsugakure to see the Village, meet some of the Villagers, and, most importantly to you I'm sure, get an idea of the strength of my team and me."

"Is this an exclusive invitation for the two of us only?" Gaara asked.

"No." Naruto answered. "If you accept the invitation, we will leave tomorrow, and if the timing is accurate, which I know it is, then we will be meeting the Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage at the Village."

"And they've already accepted this invitation?" Tsunade questioned.

"Of course." Naruto answered. "They all want to see what makes this Tetsukage think he can run with the big dogs, so to speak."

"What kind of demonstration will this be?" Gaara asked.

"That brings me to my next point." Naruto continued. "If you decide to join us, then I ask that you bring with you the strongest shinobi of your Village to test my team in combat."

"That's interesting and all, but what do you mean 'your team'? If you're the Kage of this Tetsugakure, then you're not allowed to be a part of a ninja cell." Tsunade pointed out.

"My team is a special group of ninja." Naruto explained. "I lead the team, and there are six more in addition to me. We are known as the Iron Knights. It's a group similar to Kiri's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, which is where I got the idea. However, there are some differences which you'll see at the Village."

"Am I correct in assuming that these two are part of your Iron Knights?" Tsunade asked indicating Polaris and Ryu.

"Yes, they are two of the six." Naruto confirmed. "As Tetsukage, I lead the Iron Knights because I'm the only one in the Village with a rank of K-6, which is the highest rank among the Knights. Now, even though there are only seven true Knights, there is more than that in the Iron Knights. There are also my two councilors who are ranked K-E for elders, and a Lieutenant of the Knights with a rank of K-5. In addition there is also a place for a shinobi ranked K-M and that is the designation for the Iron Knight's medic. This leads me to another reason that I requested this meeting."

"What is that?" Tsunade asked, even though she thought she figured it out. It was too much of a coincidence that Sakura just happened to be a medic, and Naruto just happened to need a medic, and that Sakura just happened to meet them.

"We have a medical kunoichi that belongs to you." Naruto said.

That caught Tsunade completely off guard. Naruto was sitting here claiming to have captured one of Pamu's medic ninja!

"Oh? Who might that be?" Tsunade questioned, deciding to see exactly what he meant.

Sakura leaned forward, interested to hear the name of her supposedly missing co-worker.

"A kunoichi by the name of Rin Terada."

When Tsunade heard the name, she froze.

"_That's not possible_." she thought. "_Rin Terada has been dead for years_."

When Naruto saw the look of confusion on Tsunade's face, he explained.

"Nobody ever knew what happened to Rin." Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei and dad both thought she was killed in an ambush by some Iwa ninjas. What they didn't know was that she was only captured. She's been in an Iwa prison for years. I found her when I went to Iwa to meet with the Tsuchikage. While there, he took me to the prison and asked if I knew her. I told him that she was Kakashi-sensei's teammate and then he told me to take her with me. So I took her back to Tetsu and she was nursed back to health by the Knights. Now she wants to come home."

"And you're willing to just let her go?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course," Naruto answered, "it's not like she's a prisoner or anything."

"So, back to the original topic," Gaara said, reining in the discussion, "you want us to bring our strongest ninja with us to fight your team?"

"Yes, that way there will be a representative from all Five Villages." Naruto told him.

"Wait, I thought you said there were six other members of your team, not including you." Tsunade interrupted.

"Yeah, that's why I want you to bring two fighters, Tsunade. I was thinking Kakashi-sensei so he could be there to greet his teammate and Neji, because I have a Knight who would love to fight him."

"That sounds fine." Tsunade agreed.

"I also accept." Gaara mentioned.

"Then it's settled." Naruto said as he stood. "If you both accept the invitation, we leave first thing in the morning."

"I will join you." Gaara said.

"I'm interested to see this Village of yours, so I'm in." Tsunade said.

"Very well, I'm glad that you're both joining us. Now, Lady Tsunade, I trust that you will bring the transfer papers for Miss Terada?"

"Yes, I'll have Shizune prepare them before we leave." Tsunade answered.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. We'll meet at the Pamu gates at eight tomorrow morning. That way, we should arrive before nightfall."

"Until then, Naruto-sama." Gaara said as he stood and shook Naruto's hand before leaving.

"See you in the morning, kid." Tsunade said as she gave Naruto a hug.

"See ya, Lady Tsunade!" Naruto said before following Gaara, with Polaris and Ryu right behind him. Sakura went to follow, but Tsunade called her back.

"Hold on a second, Sakura."

"What is it Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked.

"Does he still have a crush on you?"

"I don't know, ma'am. He hasn't called me Sakura-chan at all, so I'm not sure. Why?"

"I had noticed that too and wanted to see what you said." Tsunade replied. "You can go now."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Sakura said with a bow before she left too.

"_If he still loves her, then maybe he'll come back to us_." Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Sakura leave.

**A/N: Okay, there's the new version of chapter two. I made similar changes as those to chapter one, continuing to erase concrete evidence of this pairing. I also made some changes that will make this seem a little more realistic, such as replacing Madara with Zetsu in the raptor fight description. People were complaining that it made Naruto seem too powerful that he was able to kill Madara like that. It also was kind of an anticlimactic death for Madara, so I brought him back to life for the story. I also took out the part about Gaara fighting Polaris, because I'm writing that scene differently. ****Let me know what you think of the changes (good or bad) if you've read the originals, or if you're new to **_**Iron Shadow**_**, let me know what you think of the story itself!**


	3. Planning

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

After leaving Tsunade's office, the small group walked back out to the lobby where Shizune was. Naruto walked up to Shizune and waited as she signed yet another document. As soon as she was done she looked up at him.

"What can I do for you, Naruto-san?" Shizune asked.

"Well, I told you that we could catch up, so I was wondering if you'd like to join us for a small get-together." Naruto told her.

"What do you mean by 'small'?" she questioned.

"Sakura told me that everyone has missed me, so I figured I would give them a chance to see me before we left." he explained.

"That sounds like a great idea." Shizune told him. "Did you tell Tsunade-sama and Lord Kazekage?"

"That's the other thing I was going to ask you." Naruto continued. "I didn't think of this until Sakura mentioned it after we left, so I was going to ask if you could let them know."

"No problem, Naruto-sama. Where do you have in mind?"

"Well, Sakura told me that old man Teuchi and Ayame-san opened a full-size restaurant, so I was thinking I would take advantage of one of their private rooms around seven tonight."

"Sounds good." Shizune said. "I'll let them know and we'll see you tonight."

"See you then." Naruto said as he turned and left, followed by the other three.

The first stop after they left was Shikamaru's house. When Naruto knocked on the door, he was surprised to be greeted by Hana Inuzuka.

"Naruto!" she squealed as she enveloped him in a hug. "How are you? Where have you been? Are you here for Shikamaru?"

"Hello, Hana-san." Naruto said as he answered her questions. "I'm fine. At my new Village. Yes. How are you?"

"I'm great! Shika will be happy to see you; I'll go get him. Come on in."

She led the four into the house and to the living room. Sakura and Naruto sat on one of the three couches that were organized into a square. The fourth side was a fireplace. Polaris and Ryu sat on the adjacent couch. As soon as they were seated, Hana left to retrieve Shikamaru.

"What just happened?" Naruto asked, finally voicing his confusion.

"Oh yeah," Sakura responded, "I forgot to tell you. Shortly after you left, Shikamaru and Hana started dating. They were married a few months ago."

"Wow. I didn't see that coming." Naruto said. "Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

"Well, Hinata is going out with Choji and Ino is going out with Kiba. Lee and Shino are still single and Neji is engaged to Ayame."

"Whoa. I missed a lot, didn't I?" Naruto said.

"Are you talking about Shino Aburame?" Ryu asked.

"Yeah, why?" Naruto asked.

"His father, Shibi Aburame, was on my father's squad, along with Tsume Inuzuka." Ryu explained. "Which brings me to my next point: is that woman related to Tsume-sama?"

"Yeah, Hana-san is Tsume-sama's daughter." Sakura explained.

A few minutes later, Hana returned with a sleepy-looking Shikamaru following right behind her.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto greeted as he stood along with Ryu and Polaris.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned. "Oh, man it is you!"

"Glad you remember me you lazy bum!" Naruto responded as he walked over and shook his old friend's hand.

"Man, I didn't think we were going to see you again!" Shikamaru said as they broke the handshake. "Nice jacket. Who are your friends?"

"This is Polaris Kori and Ryu Hatake." Naruto introduced as the two bowed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shikamaru-san." Polaris said as she and Ryu straightened.

"They're part of my elite squadron." Naruto explained, not revealing the complete truth.

"What do you mean by that?" Shikamaru asked as the five sat down.

"You'll find out soon enough. In fact, that's why we're stopping: we wanted to ask if you both would like to join us for a small get-together at Ichiraku's at seven." Naruto said.

"We'd love to." Hana answered for both of them.

"Great!" Naruto said. "Would you guys mind letting everyone else know? You know the usual suspects?"

"No problem." Shikamaru said. "I assume you'll be getting the room and stuff?"

"Yep." Naruto confirmed. "By the way, Hana-san, where are the boys?"

"Out back." she said. "They're lounging with Shikaku-sama. They've taken a real liking to him. Hold on, I'll call them."

She turned away from them and gave a loud whistle. A few minutes later, three enormous dogs filed into the room.

"Naruto!" one barked as the three tackled Naruto and began licking his face.

"Hey, stop that!" Naruto tried to get out as he was laughing.

"Let him up boys." Hana said.

The three dogs stepped back and allowed Naruto to stand. After wiping the slobber off of his face, Naruto spoke again.

"I see you guys learned how to talk." Naruto said as the three started to sniff at Polaris and Ryu. Suddenly, all three dogs stiffened, before backing away and cowering behind Hana.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worriedly. "Hantā? Torakkā? Unaru?"

"That scent," Hantā managed, "it's the scent of two of the Seven Lords."

"Seven Lords?" Hana asked, turning her head towards the two Knights. "What are they talking about?"

"Wait." Torakkā interrupted, "I smell a third."

He courageously stepped out from behind Hana with his nose held high. He sniffed the air as he walked around the room, coming to a stop at Naruto. With his suspicion confirmed he bowed low to the ground before a bewildered Naruto.

"We are humbled by your presence, Leader of the Hunt." Torakkā said as the other two dogs joined him. Naruto's eyes widened.

"What's going on?" Hana asked.

"Hana, I need to speak with you for a moment." Naruto said.

"Wait, what?" Hana asked as Naruto brushed past her, heading out to the kitchen.

"I'll explain in a minute, now come on."

She followed him into the kitchen, still confused. Meanwhile, the three dogs lay down around the couch Shikamaru sat down on.

"So, what was that about?" he asked Ryu.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you without Naruto-sama's permission." Ryu replied.

"Don't worry about it, though." Polaris said. "Knowing Naruto-sama, you'll be finding out soon."

Meanwhile, Sakura was deep in her own thoughts.

"_There's something strange about Naruto and the other two_." she thought to herself. "_I hope Naruto explains things soon_."

"WHAT?" they all heard Hana exclaim from the kitchen, causing everyone's heads to snap up.

"I can't wait to find out what's going on." Shikaku said as he walked into the room from outside.

"I don't know if I want to know." Shikamaru said.

A few minutes later, Hana and Naruto returned. Hana was noticeably trembling.

"Shikamaru-kun," she said shakily, "You're going to have to pack a few nights' worth of clothes. We're making a trip."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Something came up and we need to go with Naruto-sama for a few days." she told him.

"Why? What aren't you telling me?"

"Come here for a moment." she responded as she walked into the kitchen.

"What a drag." Shikamaru commented as he stood and followed his wife.

"Will you and Yoshino-sama be joining us for dinner tonight, Shikaku-sama?" Naruto asked.

"Why not? We've got nothing better to do." he answered.

"Great!" Naruto said as Shikamaru and Hana returned.

"I guess we'll be traveling with you guys for a few days." Shikamaru said.

"Oh, stop acting like it's such a hassle, Shikamaru." Sakura said.

"We'll head over to Ichiraku's and get the room, so we'll see you guys at seven." Naruto said as he, Sakura, Polaris, and Ryu stood.

"See you then." Hana said.

A few minutes after leaving, the group arrived at Ichiraku's. The building was right behind the original ramen stand, which now served as the entrance. As they walked into the large dining hall, they were greeted with the smell of fresh ramen.

"This place smells amazing!" Polaris exclaimed. Ramen was something she learned to love from Naruto. The smell reminded her of when she first met her commander.

_Flashback – Four Years Ago_

_Polaris clenched the cloak around her body, struggling to stay warm in the harsh blizzard. Homeless, she had to survive in one of the alleys of Yukigakure. Lady Koyuki had offered her a room at a shelter, but Polaris had declined, telling the Daimyo to give the room to someone who needed it more than she did. She may not have been a very skilled ninja, but Polaris definitely had a big heart. As she turned her head away from the wind, she tried to go to sleep, knowing that it might kill her, but she was okay with that. She was ashamed of living, believing that she lost that right when she was unable to save her parents from rouge ninja._

_Suddenly, she felt the presence of another person and opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by a shadow. She turned her head and found herself looking into ocean blue eyes that seemed to hold many secrets. The eyes belonged to a blond-haired man who was crouched in the snow next to her._

"_You look like you could use a hot meal and a warm place to sleep." the man said._

"_W-w-who a-r-re y-y-you?" she managed in between shivers._

"_My name's Naruto Uzumaki." he answered. "What's yours?"_

"_P-polaris K-k-kori." she said._

"_Well, Polaris, come with me." he told her. "We need to get you warmed up."_

_Naruto offered her his hand and helped her to stand. He took off his cloak and placed it over her shoulders as he led her out of the alley and down the street. _

"_Why are you helping me?" she asked as they walked._

"_Because you need help and that's what I do." Naruto told her._

"_I don't deserve help, I deserve to die." Polaris told him somberly._

"_Nonsense." he rebuked her. "Why would you deserve to die?"_

"_Because I'm no good as a ninja." she told him. "I couldn't save my parents from an attack, and I'm not strong enough to take on missions to support myself."_

"_That's no excuse." Naruto told her. "It's not your fault that you couldn't save your parents as long as you tried your hardest. Sometimes things happen that we can't control."_

"_What would you know about that?" she asked, somewhat angry._

"_More than you think, trust me." he told her. "But we can talk about that later. This place should be perfect." _

_They had reached a small ramen restaurant that had served Yuki for years. Upon entering, Polaris was introduced to the smell of fresh ramen. It was the best thing she had ever smelled. After the two ate their fill, Naruto took Polaris to an inn and she slept in a warm bed for the first time in months._

_End Flashback_

Polaris was interrupted from her thoughts by the arrival of the proprietors. An older man and a woman about their age approached from the back of the restaurant.

"Naruto!" the man greeted as he saw who it was. "We haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?"

"It's great to see you too old man!" Naruto responded. "You too, Ayame-san! I've been great. How about you guys?"

"Business is booming since we got this restaurant." the man said before catching sight of Sakura. "And how are you, Miss Sakura?"

"I'm doing fine, Teuchi-sama." Sakura told him.

"That's great to hear!" Teuchi responded before turning back to Naruto. "Sakura comes here at least twice a month to keep us company. We've all missed you."

"I've really missed you guys too." Naruto said. "By the way, Ayame-san, I believe congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, Naruto-san." Ayame told him. "I hope you'll be here for the wedding. I told Neji-kun that I wanted you to be my representative amongst the groomsmen. Turns out he was going to ask you anyway."

"I'll definitely be there." Naruto said as Teuchi caught sight of the other two.

"You look like Sakushi's boy." Teuchi said to Ryu.

"Yes sir." Ryu responded. "Sakushi Hatake was my father."

"I heard about his death. I'm sorry for your loss." Teuchi told him.

"Don't worry about it sir." Ryu said. "It's in the past now."

"And then there's you." Teuchi said as he moved on to Polaris. "I recognize your description from my brother in Yuki. He told me a couple of years ago that he saw Naruto here bring a poor young lady into his restaurant one night and the two of you managed to wipe out an entire night's worth of ramen."

"_What's he talking about_?" Sakura thought to herself.

"Yep, that was us." Naruto said as Polaris blushed. "But his ramen wasn't as good as yours, old man."

"Glad to hear it. I'm assuming that's why you're all here?"

"Actually, not quite yet, Teuchi-sama." Naruto said, getting down to business. "We came here so that I could ask about renting your private room tonight for a little get-together at seven before we leave tomorrow."

"Let me guess, the usual suspects?" Teuchi surmised.

"You bet!" Naruto confirmed.

"All right then. We'll see you tonight!" Teuchi told him.

"See you later, Naruto-san!" Ayame said.

"See you at seven!" Naruto told them as the group left the restaurant.

At six thirty, Naruto was knocking on someone's door. After leaving Ichiraku's, Sakura went home to her parents while Naruto, Polaris, and Ryu went to get rooms at the inn. Now, Naruto was by himself for this visit, one he had decided to make ASAP. After a few moments, the door swung open to reveal Kakashi standing on the other side.

"Naruto?" Kakashi questioned when he saw him.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." he replied. "How've you been?"

"I've been pretty great, how about yourself?"

"I've been doing pretty great as well." Naruto answered.

"Come on in." he told him as he stepped back to grant him entrance.

"Thanks." he responded as he stepped inside. As he shut the door, he continued his inquiry.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"You may want to sit down for this." Naruto said.

After they sat down in chairs at Kakashi's table, Naruto began his explanation.

"Not long after I left, I started to find people that needed me to take care of them and protect them. These were people without a ninja village of their own. So I created one." Naruto told his sensei.

"By yourself?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"No, can't take sole credit." Naruto replied. "I founded it with two others who are now members of my elite squadron."

"Where are they now? Surely you didn't come to Pamu alone."

"Well, I did bring two members of the team, but only one of them is a cofounder. She's at our hotel writing more of her book."

"A book on what?" Kakashi asked.

"My dad." Naruto answered. "Ever since she heard the story of the Yellow Flash in the Academy, she's idolized him. That's why we went to the Hokage memorial; so that she could see her idol's carving."

"What do you think of it?"

"I think it's really cool. Ever since finding out who my father was, I've wanted to write a book about him and now, someone else is doing it. I think that's much better than me writing it. So instead of actually writing the book, I'm helping Polaris."

"Make sure I get a copy when it's finished." he told the blonde. "So, why exactly are you here? I thought dinner wasn't until seven."

"Oh good, you did get the message." Naruto observed. "Anyway, I wanted to see you and be able to talk with you for a little bit when it's just the two of us. That, and I had to come over to talk to you about coming to Tetsugakure, so I wanted to do it now. "Did you hear anything about that yet?"

"No." he replied. "I'm guessing Tetsugakure is your Village, but what do you want me to come for?"

"A demonstration of my team's power." Naruto told him.

"So you want me to fight one of your ninja? What rank are you in this Village of yours anyway?"

"I'm proud to say that I'm the Tetsukage of the Hidden Iron Village." Naruto answered.

"Kage?" Kakashi questioned. "That's very impressive at your young age. But I thought there could only be five Shadows."

"Well, I'm hoping to make that number six."

"Okay then, I'm in." Kakashi decided. "I always want to do my very best to help my students and I think this is a great opportunity."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. You don't know what this means to me."

"No problem, Naruto. Will I be meeting these teammates of yours at dinner?"

"Yep. Which reminds me, I've got to go and get ready, so I'll see you at Ichiraku's."

"See you soon." Kakashi told his former student as he stood and left.

**A/N: Behold, Chapter 3, Version 2! The rewrite continues! This I believe is the chapter with the biggest change, considering I replaced that end scene with a brand-new one. I also like this new one better, because I figured Naruto would've went to see his sensei ASAP. ****Let me know what you think of the changes (good or bad) if you've read the originals, or if you're new to **_**Iron Shadow**_**, let me know what you think of the story itself!**


	4. Reunion and Departure

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

As seven rolled around, Tsunade and Shizune sat waiting at a private table in Ichiraku's back room. Unsurprisingly, Gaara and his siblings were the first to arrive. They always were the most punctual. Shortly after that, the rest of the remaining Rookie 11 and their families slowly trickled in along with the various Jonin. Again surprising no one, Kakashi was the last to enter. As soon as he sat down, Tsunade stood up to address everyone.

"Well, as I'm sure you all heard, Naruto has returned to Pamu." she began. "However, this is only a temporary stay for him and he will be leaving in the morning. Because of this, he wanted to get everyone together for a reunion. And now I'll let Naruto greet you guys and introduce you to his team."

As she finished talking, she sat down. Suddenly there was a loud bang and a large burst of smoke. As the smoke dissipated, it revealed Naruto, Polaris, and Ryu standing in a triangle at the head of the table.

"Hello everyone!" Naruto greeted them happily. "It's great to see all of you again. Before anything else, I'd like those of you who haven't already to meet my teammates: Polaris Kori and Ryu Hatake."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Ryu greeted as he and Polaris bowed.

"Naruto-sama has told us all about you all; it's nice to put the faces with the names." Polaris said as they stood back up.

"Welcome back, Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as the three Tetsu shinobi sat down.

"Thanks, Kiba." Naruto said. "Man, I haven't seen you guys in a really long time."

"So, where have you been, Naruto?" Choji asked.

"I've been running my Village with these two and a few others." he answered indicating Polaris and Ryu.

"You have your own Village?" Iruka asked.

"Yep." Naruto answered. "I founded it with the help of Polaris and another one of my team."

"What kind of Village is it?" Kurenai asked.

"I can't tell you all too many details right now, but I can tell you that it's the Hidden Iron Village, or Tetsugakure."

During all of this discussion, Kakashi found himself studying Ryu. After hearing that he was also a Hatake, Kakashi began going through his memories searching for this young man.

"Figure it out yet Uncle Kakashi?" Ryu asked when he noticed the older man's staring.

"Uncle?" Kakashi questioned. "Who is your father?"

"Sakushi Hatake" Ryu answered. "Your older brother."

"I thought he was dead."

"He is now, but he wasn't when you last saw him. He was captured by Kumogakure and he died while imprisoned." Ryu explained.

"What about your mother?" Yoshino Nara asked.

"She's still alive and living in Takigakure" Ryu answered.

"What about your family, Polaris?" Tsume Inuzuka asked.

"Dead." Polaris responded. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So, who are the other members of your team?" Ino asked. "As a matter of fact, what is your team?"

"Well, let's see. I myself am the Commander of the Iron Knights, which is a group of elite warriors similar to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. That's where I got the idea and where the Iron Knights were trained in kenjutsu."

"You were trained by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Yes, ma'am." Ryu confirmed. "Well, six of them."

"Six?" Shizune questioned.

This time Polaris fielded the question. "Kisame Hoshigaki was number seven even though he was a missing-nin." she explained. "The only way for a member of the Seven to be replaced is for that member to be killed. Samehada, as one of the Seven Sacred Blades of the Mist, chooses a member of the Seven Swordsmen to represent itself. Kisame was that representative. However, Samehada was deemed too dangerous, so the Mizukage "killed" it. However, only the sentient part was killed. The blade itself still exists, but it can no longer absorb chakra or do anything that a normal blade can't."

"They still haven't found a worthy replacement for Kisame, so there's only Six Swordsmen." Naruto continued. "They would have asked one of us, but we're not from Kiri, so I decided to make my own team."

"So if there are six swordsmen, and seven knights, who trained knight number seven?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked.

"I was waiting for someone to ask that." Polaris said with a smirk. "Naruto trained with the Mizukage herself."

"What?" was the general consensus.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Naruto said with a shrug. "Mei-sama is really awesome."

"Just how intimate was this training?" Tsunade asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Don't take it that way, Tsunade-sama." Polaris told her. "I made sure Mei-sama didn't try anything."

"Did you now? Were you being possessive?"

"Of course. I don't want anybody trying anything with my brother." Polaris said simply.

"Brother?" This brought on an even bigger wave of shock and confusion.

"Relax, she's not actually my sister." Naruto assured everyone. "She's my adopted sister. That's what we decided to do. The only way for her to leave Yukigakure was with a family member."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked. "Why did she have to be with a family member?"

"The way the old laws in Yukigakure work is that a ninja can only leave the Village with a family member or spouse of a higher rank with written permission from the Daimyo." Naruto explained. "When I met her, Polaris was only a Genin, and as a Sage, I was of a higher rank, so I could get her out of there. The only thing was that I had to either marry her or take her in as my adopted sister. Since both of our hearts belonged to someone else, we took the second option."

"You're both in love?" Ino questioned. "Sounds juicy. Alright, fess up, who is it?"

"You'll meet her later." Naruto said to his fellow blonde. "That's all I'll say for now."

"Really?" Ino asked. "I guess we'll wait then. But I better get to meet her!"

"Of course you will, Ino." Naruto told her.

"Good." was the simple reply.

"What about you, Blue?" Anko asked of Polaris.

"_Blue?_" Polaris thought to herself. "_That's the best she could come up with?_"

Luckily for her, Naruto answered the question.

"That's not something we can talk about yet, Anko-san." he told the Jonin. "And her nickname is _Snowstorm_, not _Blue_."

"Snowstorm?" Anko questioned. "You got the skills to back that up?"

"You better believe it." Polaris responded with a smirk. "I heard all about you, Miss Mitarashi. And I know that I can definitely outfight you."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe, depends on how eager you are to lose."

"Oh, feisty." Anko observed. "I like you, kid. How about we see about your little challenge?"

"Settle down, Anko." Naruto told her. "If you want to fight Polaris, you'll have to come to Tetsu."

"Maybe sooner rather than later." Anko said before turning to Tsunade. "What do you say, Hokage-sama? Need another bodyguard?"

"We'll see about that." Tsunade responded, before she had an idea. "Actually, you may get your chance. There's something I want to discuss with Naruto, so if you'll excuse us; may I have a word, Naruto?"

"Sure thing, Lady Tsunade." he answered before the two of them got up from their seats and left.

"What are they talking about?" Hana asked Shizune.

"No idea," Shizune answered, "She never said anything to me."

About ten minutes later, Tsunade returned, alone. As the Hokage sat down, Hinata asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Where's Naruto-kun?"

"He'll be back in a few moments." Tsunade answered. "However, he asked me to send Polaris and Ryu out."

Polaris nodded before she and Ryu stood and left the building. Another ten minutes was spent with everyone trying to question Tsunade, but she wouldn't reveal anything. Finally, the three Tetsu shinobi returned and took their places at the table. Naruto gave Tsunade a grin and a thumbs-up as he sat down.

"So, do you want to tell them, or shall I?" Naruto asked her.

"Go ahead, it's your village." Tsunade

"Well guys," Naruto began. "Tsunade told me that all of you have signed up for the Jonin exams being held this week. Now, since it's just Pamu, we can make this work. After she discussed it with me, and I discussed it with my team, we decided to hold your Jonin exams in Tetsu."

Everyone's eyes widened, before Kiba spoke everyone's thoughts.

"Awesome!"

"Now then, here's how this is going to work." Naruto continued. "We're all leaving tomorrow morning at about eight. So, after dinner, get home, pack for about a week-long trip and get some sleep."

"That's not much notice." Shino mentioned.

"I realize that." Naruto said. "This is part of the test; to see if you can quickly prepare for an emergency mission. In actuality, the exam would have been held two days earlier than scheduled. That's tomorrow. So, by taking it in Tetsu, you have a few days more prep and some more much needed sleep. Now then, after we leave, we'll be traveling to a region of the Land of Iron, so dress appropriately. We'll make camp a few miles from the Village. The next morning, we'll reach Tetsu and give you all the tour. You can meet the other four Knights, the Villagers, my two Councilors, and then spend the rest of the day shopping, training, whatever. Day three will be spent with the demonstration for the Gokage in the morning and the Jonin exams that afternoon and evening. Days four and five will be relaxed days in Tetsu. Day six will be the return trip to Pamu. Any questions?"

After a few minutes silence, Ryu spoke up.

"Alright then, let's enjoy the rest of our evening and try to be out of here by ten. Make sure you all get a good night's sleep; we have a long day tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their assent and things turned to small talk. Before long, the food arrived and people became preoccupied with eating. As soon as everyone was finished, they paid the bill, said their goodbyes and left with everybody going their separate ways.

* * *

"Everyone ready to go?" Naruto called out to the assembled group.

A collective "Hai" was the response from the assembled Shinobi and Kunoichi before the group started through the desert. In addition to the three Tetsu ninja and the Hokage, the group consisted of Anko and Shizune as Tsunade's guards, the Rookie 9 (Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, and Lee) and their Jonin instructors (with Yugao Uzuki filling in for the as-yet not replaced Asuma), as well as Hana Nara and Shikaku Nara. In addition, Gaara was present with Baki, Kankuro, Temari, and Matsuri as his guards. Tsunade, Shizune, Shikaku, and Polaris were traveling in an oxen-drawn carriage specially-designed to travel through sand. Shikaku and the Hokage were discussing their plans for the Jonin exam with Polaris, who Naruto placed in charge of orchestrating the exam. The second carriage was loaded with various items of luggage. Outside the two carriages, the twenty-one remaining shinobi marched along through the desert behind Naruto and Ryu.

"I know the heat's oppressive, but we won't be out here for long." Ryu told the Pamu and Suna ninja. "We'll be entering the tunnel system in about a half-hour."

"Tunnel system?" Kankuro questioned. "There aren't any tunnel-systems out here."

"None that you guys knew about." Naruto responded over his shoulder. "It's hidden in the sand and it leads to a valley in the Land of Iron after about a thirty-mile journey."

"How'd you guys find it?" Temari asked.

"Ryu and Kazo, another of the Knights, found it while they were exploring the area surrounding Tetsu." Naruto answered.

The rest of the half-hour passed without much more than small talk. Naruto and Ryu would occasionally speak to one another quietly, but not to anyone else. Eventually, they reached an area with small rocky plateaus rising out of the sand. Naruto lead the group to a particular plateau that didn't look any different than the others. Forming a one-handed sign that no one recognized, Naruto stuck his right hand into a barely noticeable hole in the side of the plateau. A glow emanated from the hole before the entire rock split in two and slid to each side revealing a shallow ramp that led about ten feet under the desert. Naruto led the way and as soon as the second carriage was in the tunnel, the rocks slid together again.

Naruto, Ryu, and Polaris (having exited the carriage) each retrieved a lantern from brackets on the wall of the tunnel. They each forced chakra into the lantern and the immediate are was illuminated in a bright orange glow.

"I didn't know you could use the fire element, Naruto." Kiba mentioned.

"I can't." Naruto said. "Only Ryu can."

"Then how are you creating that fire?" Ino questioned.

"This isn't fire." Polaris told her. "It's molten steel."

That one caught everybody off guard.

"Molten steel?" Neji inquired. "How is that possible?"

"All Tetsu shinobi can manipulate metal to some degree." Polaris explained. "Like this."

She raised her hand so that her palm was facing upwards and then she concentrated her charka. A few rocks dislodged themselves from the tunnel wall and floated over to Polaris's hand. Then the rocky surface crumbled away revealing dull pieces of metal. Then the pieces floated towards each other and melded together to form a shuriken.

"This is a simple K-1 Rank exercise." she explained.

"What does K-1 mean?" Hinata inquired as they began walking again.

"You can explain this one, Naruto-sama." Polaris deflected.

"Alright, I guess I can tell you guys since we're technically in a part of Tetsu." Naruto began. "When we founded the Village, and by 'we' I mean myself, Polaris, and Kazo, we created a different ranking system than every other Village. Our civilians are ranked K-0, which stands for Knight - Level Zero. And that means that they're not Knights at all. Next up from that is our Genin, who are ranked K-1, or Trainee level. K-2 is our Chunin or Page level. After that is where the tree splits. K-3 is the Jonin or Squire level. At the same level is our K-T which is our Tactician level. These are similar to the Special Jonin, but as I said, they're the same level as a regular Jonin. Our K-M Medics are also at the same level."

"_That's where I'd be_." Sakura thought to herself.

"So what's next?" Lee asked.

"Instead of ANBU, we have our Knights." Naruto continued. "They're ranked K-4. This is Polaris, Ryu, and Kazo's rank. K-5 is a Lieutenant rank; we don't have one of those yet. At the same level are our Elders who are K-E. We have two of those. Finally, the Commander/Kage is K-6. That's me."

"Wow." Choji commented. "So how many people live in Tetsu?"

"About three or four dozen." Naruto answered. "We're still growing."

After about three hours or so, they found themselves walking up another ramp. Polaris had returned to the carriage about a half-hour ago, passing her lantern off to Hana. Soon, the whole group stopped as they reached the end of the tunnel. Naruto once again focused his chakra into his palm and placed the palm on the center of the wall they found themselves at. The wall slid apart to reveal a snow-covered valley.

"We have a special outpost about three miles from here at the end of the valley." Naruto told the group. "That's where we'll stop for lunch and rest for an hour or so."

* * *

After lunch, they traveled through the Land of Iron for about six hours. As they journeyed, Naruto and Tsunade had them all practicing various control exercises and they each took turns meditating on the roof of the Kages' carriage. Finally, Naruto led them to an outpost that he said was about three miles from the Village and they stopped for the night.

"Why don't we just go all the way to the Village tonight if it's that close?" an indignant Ino asked.

"Because the gates are closed for the night at seven unless there's a mission." Naruto answered. "No exceptions. Besides, this way you'll be able to spend a whole day exploring the Village."

Ino was frustrated, but was too exhausted to argue. The group had dinner and then everyone retired to their individual rooms. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**A/N: Okay, that's the last rewritten chapter. **_**Iron Shadow **_**is officially no longer a Naru/Saku fanfic. This one only had some minor changes, but it also had several minor corrections that I was able to find and take care of. I'm pleased to say that Chapter 5 is coming soon as well as my next fanfic: **_**The Strength of Heroes**_**. But for now, let me know what you think of the changes (good or bad) if you've read the originals, or if you're new to **_**Iron Shadow**_**, let me know what you think of the story itself!**


	5. Tetsugakure

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

The next morning, after everyone had woken up and eaten breakfast, the large group left the outpost and began the final trek to Tetsugakure. This leg of the journey only lasted about an hour before Naruto led them to the base of an extremely large mountain.

"Alright everyone, we're here." Naruto told the group.

"Where's the village?" Kiba asked.

"Inside this mountain." Polaris answered as she and Ryu walked up to stand next to Naruto.

"How is that possible?" Ino questioned incredulously.

"You'll see in about two minutes." Naruto told her. "We're just waiting for the rest of the group."

"Here they come now." Ryu said, looking to the west.

Rounding a bend on a forest path was another group of people. This one was smaller, consisting of only eleven people: three Kages with two guards each. The ones that stood out the most though, were the two in front wearing Tetsugakure headbands and Iron Knight Jackets. When their group stopped, Naruto's group was able to get a better glimpse of their appearance.

The lead Knight was a female with shoulder-length blonde hair and light blue eyes. Her headband cloth and jacket, apart from the black flames, were a cerulean blue color. Attached to her necklace was a sapphire. The other Knight was a male with brown hair that was swept back **(A/N: Like Vergil from Devil May Cry 3)** and eyes that were a deeper red than Kurenai's. He wore a forest-green jacket and headband and an emerald was attached to his necklace. Both Knights had swords on their backs.

"Everyone," Naruto said to his group, "I'd like you to meet two more of my Iron Knights. This is Keiko Aoihana."

As he said the name, the blonde girl bowed while greeting them with a "Pleased to meet you."

"And this is Kazo Sutomu, the third founder of Tetsugakure."

The male mimicked Keiko's bow with his own "Welcome to Tetsu".

"And we'd like to present," Keiko took over, "the Raikage of Kumogakure, the Mizukage of Kirigakure, and the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure."

"Thank you for inviting us to your Village, Naruto-kun." the Mizukage told him.

"Of course, Mei-sama." Naruto responded.

"Alright, kid." the Raikage thundered **(A/N: he's** **not mad, it's just how he talks)** "Let's see this Village of yours."

"Very well." Naruto said before placing his hand on a Tetsu symbol carved into the rock. He pushed chakra into the symbol as if activating a seal and then the rock shuddered before splitting into two doors, which slowly swung open.

"Everyone," the Tetsukage announced, "welcome to Tetsugakure."

* * *

The first thing that the newcomers were presented with was the vastness of the cavern they entered. The entire mountain was found to be completely hollow, thought it was hard to tell with the ceiling, and they were able to see many buildings not just on the floor of the cavern, but the walls too. The buildings on the ground, from what they could see, were in a circular pattern around the very center of the mountain.

"What you see and where we are is the Cultural Level of Tetsugakure." Naruto explained. "It's the largest of the seven levels and it's where you'll find most of the businesses as well as the hospital. Now, one of the duties of the Knights is to "govern" each of the levels of Tetsugakure. This means that everyone involved on that level, be it workers, or occupants, answers to that Knight. The Cultural Level is governed by Kazo here."

"So, if you have any questions, you can direct them to Kazo." Polaris said with a grin.

"What exactly do you do as governor?" Kurenai asked.

"The most common thing for me to do is to decide whether or not someone can enter or exit the Village." Kazo told her. "I watch over the gates and make sure that anyone coming in here isn't a threat."

"So you're the first line of defense?" the Tsuchikage questioned.

"You could say that." Kazo responded. "But that's only if someone can get past the gates, which is nearly impossible for someone without my permission or the proper chakra signature to do."

"What do you do as far as the businesses are concerned?" Tsunade asked.

"My job is basically deciding what businesses are allowed to set up shop here and also make sure that no ones doing anything illegal or unethical. I also decide whether or not people are allowed to expand their building, and any major sales interaction has to have my approval before it's allowed."

"That sounds like a lot of work." Kankuro observed.

"It can be tiring, but I enjoy seeing all the people that come to the Village."

"Well Kazo, why don't you lead the tour?" Naruto suggested.

"Alright boss." Kazo agreed. "If you'll all follow me."

* * *

After Kazo led the group around to the various businesses, the hospital, the restaurants, and his office, where they met his fill-in assistant Yori, he brought his part of the tour to the end at a very large stone pillar in the center of the entire Village.

"You can take it from here, Naruto-sama." Kazo said to his boss.

"Thanks, Kazo." Naruto said before turning to the group. "What you see behind me is the spine of the entire Village. Now, I don't mean that it holds everything up, but it's one of the most important parts of the Village."

"Why is it so important?" Shizune asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Shizune." Naruto responded. "Come with me and I'll show you."

Naruto turned around and led the way to a door in the base of the pillar. He opened it and led everyone inside. To say that they were shocked at the inside of the pillar would be a _huge _understatement.

First off, the pillar was hollow from the top of the mountain down past where they now were. They were standing on a large circular platform attached to the inside of the pillar, which had a diameter of about fifty feet. The column was illuminated by a bright orange glow coming from pipes running the entire length from top to bottom. But what were really amazing was the other occupants of the pillar.

Over a dozen people were ascending and descending through the pillar on metal discs. The headbands identified them all as shinobi of Tetsugakure. These shinobi would ride a disc from one platform to another with no visible means of support. Along the wall of the platform they were standing on, the visitors could see racks containing dozens of these discs.

"What is all this?" the Raikage demanded.

"This is our Titanium Disc Transport System." Naruto explained. "Those discs are made of a special chakra metal that interacts with this mountain's chakra system."

"The mountain has a chakra system?" Sakura asked.

"Preposterous!" Ōnoki declared.

"Go ahead, Neji." Naruto said to the Hyuga Jonin. "Check it for everyone."

"Very well." Neji responded as he activated his **Byakugan**. What he saw with his bloodline was unbelievable.

Every single transport disc was aglow with chakra and the column they were standing in was lit up like a giant light bulb.

"What do you see, boy?" Ōnoki demanded.

"I can't see anything." Neji answered.

"Ah-ha!" the Tsuchikage said in triumph. "This so-called Tetsukage was lying!"

"No sir," Neji told him, "I can't see anything because there's too much chakra in this pillar!"

"What?" everyone else but the Tetsu shinobi questioned.

"I had a feeling that would happen." Naruto admitted. "This pillar is like the main line of a ninja's chakra network. It enables all of the mountain's chakra to flow through out Tetsugakure. It's only natural that being inside it would nearly blind a Hyuga. Now then, if you'll all follow me."

Naruto and the other Knights led the still dumbfounded group over to one of the racks of discs. The Knights then began to pass out discs to everyone before unsealing their own from a special seal on the inside of their jackets.

"As a gift, we're going to teach you all how to use the Titanium Disc Transports." Naruto announced. "But don't get too excited, because the basic level of the technique only allows access to Levels 1 through 5. Only the Knights and Elders are able to access the advanced level, which is required to reach Levels 6 and 7."

"What's on those levels?" Mei questioned.

"All in due time, Mei-sama." Naruto responded with a grin.

"Okay everyone, now that you all have a disc, we can get started." Keiko said. "As head of the Tetsugakure Ninja Academy, it is my duty to instruct all beginners in the transport system's use. The technique is fairly simple, but you must have fairly decent chakra control in order to use it properly. The first step is to use chakra to stick your feet to the disc in the same way that you would perform tree-climbing."

Keiko paused a moment while she waited for everyone to complete the first step before moving on.

"Now comes the tricky part." she continued. "While maintaining that flow of chakra, you have to manipulate a secondary flow. This is what allows for movement. Fortunately, the discs themselves will maintain the first part on their own, so you don't have to consciously focus on sticking. You only have to make sure that you keep up the flow; don't slack off or you'll fall off. Once you're ready, begin to pour in the secondary amount. More chakra allows for ascent, less chakra for descent. Like so."

Keiko entered what was now a routine for her. She slowly poured a second stream of chakra into her disc, which caused her to rise off of the ground.

"For linear movement, you have to control which part of the disc you pour chakra into. The best way to do this is to make part of the disc "heavier" with chakra than the rest. Your chakra will interact with the pillar's chakra and you will be drawn in that particular direction. For example, if I want to move forward, then I have to focus my chakra into the front of the disc."

After her explanation, the group started to try it out. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Sakura were the first to get it, the former two because it was similar to how they rode their sand and fan respectively, and the latter two due to their near-perfect chakra-control. After those four, Tsunade and Shizune due to their medical skills, and then the Raikage and Tsuchikage got it with their bodyguards following closely behind. It wasn't long before everyone was hovering off of the ground on his or her disc. By this point, Naruto and the other three Knights ascended above the rest of the group.

"Now that you've got the hang of it, let's continue to Level Three." Naruto told them.

"Level three?" Kiba asked. "What about Level Two?"

"That's where we just came from." Polaris answered. "Level Two is actually the ground level. You'll see Level One later."

"Lead the way, Naruto-kun." Mei told him as she came up next to the Knights.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

Level Three was the Residential Level, governed by Ryu. There really wasn't much to see, but the visitors were fascinated by how the outermost houses were carved into the wall of the mountain. Ryu explained that his job was to handle any requests or complaints from the people, to make sure it stayed quiet at night, and to keep track of who lived where and who wasn't home each night. Basically, everyone had to check in before entering or leaving the Residential Level in order to insure that no one who didn't belong there had access to people's homes. They also met Ryu's fill-in assistant, Asami.

After leaving the Residential Level, the group made their way to Keiko's Academy Level. While touring the Academy, which took up most of the floor due to the student dorms, Keiko explained that the students were on a one-week break for the visitor's sake. She also told them that the students would be part of the audience for the Gokage Demonstration as well as the Jonin exams. Keiko showed them the training rooms, which were each uniquely equipped for each level of student. After that, Naruto led the way to the Training Level, where he said they would meet the Sixth Knight.

After exiting the transport pillar, the visitors found that the entire level was completely barren. A short, stone wall split the level into four separate training grounds with the pillar in the very center. Naruto led them to the training ground to their immediate right, where they quickly noticed the Sixth Knight.

This Knight was an enormous man, taller than the Raikage, but was stocky enough that he wasn't lanky. In fact, the visitors could see that the man was solid muscle, and looked like he could withstand a hit from even Tsunade. He had short black hair that was cut flat on the top and shorter on the sides **(A/N: Think Marine-style flat-top)**.His eyes were a soft brown and his jacket and headband were a muddy brown with the black flames on the jacket. On his necklace was a piece of brown onyx and as with every other Knight, the hilt of a sword could be seen over the top of his head.

He looked up from the young boy he was talking to as the group of visitors approached. Many of said visitors were somewhat amazed that the child showed absolutely no fear or nervousness when talking to this very intimidating giant of a man.

"Everyone, this is Titanos Chikyu." Naruto said. "He is the governor of the Training Level and as such is the Master Instructor."

"It is a pleasure to see so many visitors to our humble Village." Titanos told them in a surprisingly gentle voice.

Keiko saw some of the looks a few of the females were giving Titanos, so she walked over and placed her right arm around his waist.

"He's already spoken for, so don't even think about it, ladies." Keiko warned them with a smirk.

Anko and Shizune immediately began looking the other way while Naruto and Ryu chuckled at their reactions.

"In terms of raw strength, Titanos is the strongest of the Knights." Polaris told them. "But don't let him intimidate you too much; he's a big teddy bear."

"I can't wait for the chance to spar with some of you." Titanos told them. "Only Naruto and Polaris have been able to outfight me. Perhaps one of you can as well."

This simple statement was like a smack to the face for several of the visiting shinobi. They weren't really that surprised that Naruto was stronger, but they were amazed that the slender and, compared to Naruto and Titanos, petite Polaris was as strong as Titanos said she was.

"I'll tell you right now." Naruto said to the group when he saw their expressions. "Underestimating Polaris in a fight will get you killed. But that's for later. Since there isn't much to see up here, we'll continue on our tour. Titanos, are you free for a few hours?"

"Yes sir." Titanos responded. "Hiroki was the last scheduled for today."

"Excellent." the Tetsukage responded. "We'll need your help for this next part."

Naruto turned and led the group back to the transport pillar. Once inside, he turned back to face the group with his Knights lined up next to him.

"Due to the fact that only the Knights and Elders can access Levels 6 and 7, each of you will have to ride with one of the Knights." Naruto explained. "The reason for this is that only the Knights and Elders are able to use the most advanced form of Metal manipulation needed to control the transports. Now, I'm afraid that Level Six is off-limits to anyone that's not a Tetsu shinobi ranked K-3 or higher, so our tour will instead continue straight to Level Seven. However, I'll let Polaris tell you what is on her Level Six."

"Thank you, Naruto-sama." Polaris said to her leader before stepping forward. "The Sixth Level is known as the Scholar Level of Tetsugakure. It contains the Library of the Iron Ark, the Jutsu Vault, and the Tetsugakure Archives. The reason it is off-limits is because the Library of the Iron Ark is considered to be one of the two sacred areas of Tetsugakure, the other of which is even more off limits to outsiders. In fact, only a select few are allowed into the Library. Everyone else is forbidden."

"Thank you, Polaris." Naruto said before continuing. "So, we will now continue to Level Seven which is divided into three areas: the Tetsukage's Office, the Council Chamber, and the quarters of the Tetsukage and the Elders. Here's how this is going to work. Polaris and I will be taking the Konoha group, Keiko will take the Kiri group, Titanos will take the Iwa group, Ryu will take the Suna group, and Kazo will take the Kumo group."

After a few moments of shuffling, the groups were divided up between each of the Knights who unsealed their personal discs. After placing the discs onto the ground, the Knights then released a special chakra burst into the discs. The visitors were shocked yet again when the discs grew exponentially until they were large enough to hold everyone. Once they were ready, Naruto led the flight up the shaft past the Scholar Level to the top of the column. Then everyone got off of the discs and followed Naruto into his office, where they were greeted and shocked by the two Elders.

The male elder wasn't what surprised the guests. He looked like Kazo, so everyone figured that he was Kazo's father. In fact, the only difference between the two was that the Elder's hair was down to his shoulders. His jacket and headband were also different than the rest of the Knights. His were a dark yellow color and his necklace had a matching topaz. Unlike the Knights, this man's sword was attached to his left hip.

The female elder was what really surprised them.

"Hello, Naruto-sama." she greeted in a soft voice.

"Hello, Konan-san." Naruto replied.

For the few ninja that didn't know of her defection, it was assumed that Konan was still a member of Akatsuki. As a result…

"You dare ally yourself with Akatsuki?" Ōnoki accused.

"She hasn't been a member of Akatsuki for five years." Naruto responded. "After Pain was defeated, she left the organization and began running Amegakure full time. It was only last year that she came to Tetsugakure and became an Elder."

As they heard Naruto's explanation, the guests took in Konan's appearance. The former Akatsuki member had her hair in the same style, but removed the piercing from her chin. This simple thing made her much more attractive. Her jacket was a royal purple color and unlike when she was last seen by the Konoha shinobi, she wore a royal purple headband around her neck above her necklace, which held an amethyst. She too had a sword at her left hip.

"These are my two Elders." Naruto told his guests, before first introducing the man. "This is Rokuro Sutomu. He is, as you may have suspected, Kazo's father." Then Naruto gestured to Konan. "And as you may or may not know, this is Konan Aoihana. She is, in addition to an Elder, Keiko's older sister."

This revelation surprised several of the diplomats, but after taking a moment to compare Konan and Keiko's facial features, they realized just how similar the two were. In fact, if not for the hair color and eyes, the two could be passed off as twins.

"We welcome you to Tetsugakure." Rokuro told the group in a gentle, yet serious tone. "Please feel free to make yourselves at home during your stay, and be sure to let us know if you have any questions or concerns."

"And that invitation extends to the rest of the Knights as well." Polaris added.

"Thank you for your time." Naruto said to the Elders with a bow. "If you'll excuse us, we have one more tour stop. Everyone, right this way."

He led the group back out of the office and to the column. Once there, he stopped to explain something.

"We are now taking you all to Level One of Tetsugakure, which is perhaps the most important." he explained. "Upon arrival, we will meet the Seventh Knight. She will then lead us into the Forge Level of Tetsugakure and take over the final part of the tour. I will give you from Konoha a fair bit of warning; you may be in for quite the shock. However, I request that you not question her until after the tour. But for now, let's divide up into the same groups as before and begin the descent."

They followed Naruto's directions and within moments they passed the Cultural Level and landed on the Forge Level. After disembarking from the discs, they followed the Tetsukage out of the shaft and into what appeared to be a shop of sorts. They saw that there were racks and shelves full of every conceivable kind of weapon and tool they could come across. There were kunai and shuriken by the bundle, senbon, swords, axes, shovels, spears, and many more. Then they all heard a door at the opposite end of the store open and could hear the sounds of hammers and billows before the door was closed. Then, when she walked closer and into the light, the visitors got to see the Seventh Knight.

"Hello everyone." Tenten greeted calmly.

Saying that the Leaf Shinobi were stunned would be, like with the column, a _huge_ understatement. Standing before them was a kunoichi whom none of them had seen in well over a year. The fact that she hadn't been labeled as a missing-nin was a surprising relief, but now they finally knew what happened to her. Then they took a better look at her appearance. Her hair was still tied up into her trademark buns, and her headband, though it was now white, was in the same place. However, it was strange seeing her in clothes other than her usual Chinese-style dress. Her Knight Jacket was snow white in color; the same shade as her headband. Her necklace, like the others, carried a jewel. Hers was a pearl.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Forge Level of Tetsugakure." Tenten told them all, slipping into a tour guide routine. "For your own safety, I ask that you please stay back from the individual forges and whet-wheels. If you'll please follow me."

Tenten led them through the door she herself had emerged from and allowed the guests to be awed by the Tetsugakure Forges. Over a dozen people worked at individual forges, heating metal in fires or working the metal at their anvils. What was even more interesting was the fact that there were over a hundred identical stations remaining unused. Gaara for one appreciated the fact that if Tetsugakure had more blacksmiths, they could quickly become the lead manufacturer of tools and weapons. He also realized that if these workers possessed any metal manipulation at all, then the products would be of the highest quality.

"As you can see, we're still growing." Tenten explained as she led them past some of the stations. "However, I can assure you that our weapons and tools are unmatched anywhere in the world."

"How so, if I may ask?" one of the Raikage's bodyguards asked.

"You look like a swordsman yourself." Tenten observed. "Can I get your name?"

"Name's Darui, ma'am." the bodyguard introduced himself.

"Well Darui, as I'm sure Mei-sama, Chojuro-san, and Ao-san can attest to, our weapons and tools are made from the strongest and most durable metals on the whole continent, if not the world." Tenten explained. Her statement was affirmed with confirmations from the Mizukage and her two guards. "This fact, combined with the metal manipulation skills possessed by our smiths, makes our weapons the top of the top line."

Gaara smirked at having his assumption proved right on every count.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order?" Naruto suggested.

"Good idea, sir." Tenten responded. This response was also a surprise to the Konoha shinobi, who were not used to seeing Tenten address Naruto of all people with such respect. Tenten walked over to one of the forges, tapped its male smith on the shoulder, and led him over, sword in hand. The man was elderly, appearing to be in his seventies. He had a gray beard and gray eyebrows, but there was not another hair on his head. He wore a simple pair of brown pants, brown sandals, and a leather vest over a white shirt.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Hisashi Masao." she introduced. "He's one of our Master Smiths."

"Greetings, honored guests." Hisashi said with a bow.

"Hisashi is going to help me perform this simple test." Tenten told the group. "Each of the five Kage assembled here have unique abilities that have set them apart as strong enough to lead their Village. So, I'd like each of you to use all of your power in a single strike and try to break this blade."

"Very well." Tsunade agreed. "I'll go first."

She took the sword, which Hiashi held out with a smile. Summoning all of her incredible strength, Tsunade tried to break the blade in half. It didn't even bend. Then the Raikage tried to snap it with a lightning-enhanced chop. Nothing. Not even Ōnoki's dust or Gaara's sand were able to so much as scratch the incredible blade. They handed it back to Hisashi with a defeated look.

"I've already tried." Mei told the smith. "Neither lava or acid were able to damage these blades."

"Now for the true demonstration." Hisashi said with a smile as he handed it to Polaris. "Polaris-chan, would you be a dear and take off about the first three or four inches for me?"

"Sure thing Masao-sama." Polaris told him as she took the blade. Her eyes flashed a bright silver color that disappeared as quickly as it came. Then she effortlessly snapped the first four inches from the blade, effectively shocking the guests once again.

"Will that do, Masao-sama?" Polaris asked.

"That's perfect." he told her. "Thank you my dear child."

"Sure thing, Masao-sama." Polaris responded with a warm smile before Hisashi returned to his work. It was apparent that everyone of the Tetsu shinobi held great respect and even love for the old man.

"Well, that's it for our tour." Naruto told the visitors. "You're now free to explore the village at your leisure."

"Thank you for the tour." Tsunade spoke for the still overwhelmed guests as Naruto grinned at them before walking out of the forge with his Knights behind him.

**A/N: Well, was that worth the wait? How about them apples? Make sure you let me know what you think of Tetsugakure and the last four Knights as well as the two elders. Tetsu itself was inspired by Tronjheim from **_**Eragon**_**. The story of Tenten's disappearance will be explained next chapter which also features the Gokage demonstration. That's all for now!**


	6. Knights vs Elites

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

Team Guy was the first to snap out of their information-overload induced stupors and the three shinobi quickly went after the Knights, intent on discovering what had happened to the kunoichi of their team. They caught up with Naruto and Tenten as the Knights were just taking off to return to their respective levels.

"Tenten-san, wait!" Neji called. "Where are you going?"

"Naruto-sama and the Elders need me for a meeting." Tenten explained. "Why?"

"We wish to talk to you, Tenten-chan." Lee told her. "We have not seen you for over a year."

She looked to Naruto for a response and he thought for a moment before sighing.

"You can give them about ten minutes, Tenten." he told her. "But we need to get this done."

"Yes, sir." Tenten replied.

When she said this, Naruto continued up the column, passing by all of the Knights and landing on the Level Seven platform.

"Well then," Tenten said turning to her old team, "I guess we can talk for a little bit. Why don't we go to my office?"

"Wherever is best, Tenten-san." Neji responded.

She got off of her disc and returned it to her jacket. Then she walked past them and led them out of the column and through the "store". By this time, all of the rest of the visitors had started looking around at all of the products of the forges and didn't really pay them any notice. Tenten walked across the room and to another door that they hadn't seen earlier. After opening the door, she ushered the two Jonin and one Chunin into the office contained within. She motioned them to sit down in the chairs in front of a large wooden desk as she removed her sword and jacket and hung the two on hooks on the wall. Then she sat down behind her desk and faced them.

"So," she said, "where do you want to start?"

"Why did you leave?" Neji questioned.

"Because I needed to be here." Tenten said simply. "Naruto helped me find my family."

This caught the three males off-guard, but Guy quickly recovered.

"And did you find anything?" he asked.

"Yes we did."

"Well?" Lee asked, "Who were you able to find?"

"We found my father in the Land of Bears." Tenten began. "He ran a small shop selling basic ninja equipment such as kunai and shuriken. When the seven of us stopped at the shop, we didn't think anything of it at first. But then he saw our swords and challenged one of us to a duel. Kazo was the first to accept, so we went out back behind the store. We watched as the two of them faced off. A furious battle ensued, neither one of them gaining nor losing any ground. Naturally, we were amazed that someone was able to keep up with Kazo. Naruto called a stop to the fight and questioned the man about where he learned to fight like that. The man explained that he was the sensei of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki."

"What?" Guy exclaimed. "You found the Ōgon no Kenshi?"

"That's correct." Tenten responded.

"Guy-Sensei, who is the Ōgon no Kenshi?" Lee questioned.

"He was revered as one of the most powerful swordsmen on the face of the planet." Guy explained. "It is said that he was the only man ever to have the ability to engage all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist at the same time."

"Incredible!" Neji commented. "His hand-eye coordination and reflexes must have been superhuman."

"They were superhuman as a result of his Tāgettogan **(Target Eye)**." Tenten explained. "It was a dojutsu that increased the reflexes, coordination, and accuracy of its wielder by a factor of ten. There are only a few ways to match the Tāgettogan in a fight. The first was the **Lightning Armor** of the Fourth Raikage. The second was the Fourth Hokage's incredible speed. And the rest are the respective bloodlines that bless the Iron Knights. But those aren't for me to reveal, so you'll have to be satisfied with what you already know."

"We understand, Tenten." Guy told her. "Please, continue your story."

"Thank you, Guy-sensei." she replied.

That simple statement made Guy feel a lot better. At first Tenten's brisk manner worried him; he was afraid that she was changed. But her calling him Sensei told him that she was the same Tenten, just much more serious.

"As I was saying, the man told us that he was Kushina-sama's sensei. This fact, combined with his incredible skills, gave Naruto reason to offer him the position of Tetsugakure Elder."

"So you're saying that Rokuro Sutomu, Kazo's father, is the Ōgon no Kenshi?" Neji asked.

"That's right." Tenten confirmed.

"But wait a second." Lee said. "You never told us what this has to do with your family.

"Lee, it has everything to do with my family." Tenten replied. "Rokuro Sutomu is my father as well."

Once again, the three men were shocked into silence. This time, they all recovered quickly.

"Your father is the Ōgon no Kenshi?" Neji questioned.

"Kazo is your brother?" Lee asked.

"What about your mother?" Guy asked.

"Yes he is. We're twins. And she didn't survive giving birth to twins." Tenten explained. "Before you ask, we both have the Tāgettogan."

"Can we see it?" Guy inquired hopefully.

"Sure thing Guy-sensei." she replied with a smile. A short surge of chakra to her eyes revealed the Tāgettogan to her former team. In both eyes, the pupil contracted and a transparent blue sheen covered the entire eye. A transparent yellow circle surrounded the pupil and four lines of the same color showed up too. The two on the top and bottom were short and ran from the bottom and top of her eye to just inside the circle without connecting. The two on either side were longer. They also started at the edge and ran to just inside the ring. **(A/N: Cross-hairs)**

"Incredible." Neji said again. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's because we have the only three."

"How did you awaken it?"

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you. But you will get to see it in the fight tomorrow." Tenten said before standing up. "That reminds me, I have to go to my meeting now. I suggest the three of you go get some training in."

The three males stood up too and told Tenten how happy they were to see them again. Then they followed her out of the office and back through the store. A young adult kunoichi was now behind the counter. She introduced herself as Tenten's assistant, Mariko. When asked, she told them that everyone had left for the Training Level at their respective Kages' orders. After this they left; Tenten flew up to the Seventh Level while Guy, Lee, and Neji made their way to the Training Level.

* * *

_The next day…_

The visitors to Tetsugakure were taken to a hotel in the Residential Level the night before. The entire top level had been reserved for them. Now, they were all being woken up by a pair of Pages named Tadao and Yori. The two shinobi advised them all to get ready and head to the Forge Level for the Gokage Demonstration at nine. That left them with an hour and a half to prepare.

Right on time, the last of the guests, Shikaku and Shikamaru, were dragged into the Forge by their respective wives. This completed the gathering of ninja around the landing of the column, with Naruto and the other Knights standing in the center of the gathering.

"I hope you all got enough sleep." Naruto began. "You're in for an interesting day. We're going to start things off today with the Gokage Demonstration. Since the Training Level is for Training only, we're going to go to our "arena". We'll be taking all of you into the Kinzoku Cavern where Tetsu ninja have their major sparring matches and high-level jutsu training. Now to get down there, we have to open the shaft. Please pay close attention in case you need to get down there for some reason."

Once everyone's eyes were on him, Naruto began a series of fifteen hand seals, ending on the Hare seal.

"**Kinzoku Shaft: Release**." he declared.

The center of the column's iron floor glowed purple for a moment before fading again. When it returned to normal, it shuddered before the circle dropped open, revealing a hole with a diameter of about fifteen feet. Naruto removed his disc from his jacket and descended into the hole with everyone following. The space they found themselves in was barely illuminated by a soft lavender glow around them and a bluish glow far beneath them. Naruto told them all to wait before he continued his descent. After a few moments, the entire cavern was lit up by enormous spotlights, revealing the enormity of the cavern. The Kizoku Cavern was a thousand feet tall and about five times that in diameter. The solid crystal walls were incredibly smooth and the floor was covered in a deep royal blue moss that contrasted beautifully with the soft lavender of the crystals. Along the edge of the floor were crystals of the same color as the moss. All in all, it was strangely beautiful.

"Well, what do you think?" Naruto asked as he came back up to the group.

The response was several various forms of incredible, beautiful, and freakin' sweet. As Naruto led them down to the floor, the Mizukage flew up next to him.

"Won't we destroy this beautiful moss if we have the battles here?" she asked him.

"If you can destroy this moss, I'll be amazed." Naruto told her. "This is a special kind of moss that has its own chakra network full of a special kind of chakra. Any attack that hits the moss or crystals, be it chakra-based or elemental, won't have any effect. It will merely be absorbed."

This amazed Mei, but she shook it off and continued. "So it can't be destroyed at all?"

"It can, but it takes a combination of all five elements of chakra or a really sharp weapon." he explained.

As the group landed, they felt how springy the moss was and were able to truly take in the vastness of the cavern. Naruto cleared his throat to bring everyone's attention back to him.

"As beautiful as the Kinzoku cavern is, we are on a bit of a schedule, so we best get started." Naruto told them. "So let's get this demonstration underway. Chivalry dictates that ladies go first, so who shall be fighting for Kiri, Mei-sama?"

"I believe that Kasumi Hōseki will be fighting for us." Mei told him. "She is the Kirigakure no Jueru **(Jewel of the Hidden Mist)**."

The Mizukage's female bodyguard stepped forward at this introduction. Kasumi was about five feet, six inches tall. She had raven-black hair with silver bangs and her eyes were a piercing blue. She wore a black vest with silver pouches for scrolls and an open silver skirt similar to Ino's with a pair of black shorts underneath. On her back was a large scimitar with a royal blue handle. She grinned at Naruto and everyone could see her sharpened, shark-like teeth.

"So, who do I get to play with?" she asked in a voice filled with bloodlust.

"_She's a feisty one._" Naruto thought to himself. "_And her title means that she must be Kisame's replacement in the Swordsmen. About time they replaced the shark._"

"You'll be fighting the 'Wave Breaker'." Naruto told Kasumi. "Keiko Aoihana."

Polaris led everyone but the combatants and the Kages away from the battleground. The Kage stayed to serve as judges. Once everyone was a safe distance away, Naruto deferred to Mei, who gave the order to begin.

Kasumi wasted no time at all.

"**Water Style: Water Fang Bullet**!" she shouted as six drills of water came up from around Keiko and converged on the girl.

"**Metal Style: Steel Curtain Cage**!" Keiko cried. At the last second, she was surrounded by four walls of steel. The drills hit hard, but the metal didn't give. However, as soon as the walls went up, Kasumi rushed towards the box and, drawing her sword, leapt over the wall. As she descended into the box, she saw Keiko smirk at her before dissolving into a puddle of water.

"A **Water Clone**?" Kasumi questioned. "Where did she go?"

Kasumi was preoccupied, and as such, she didn't notice the water turn into a thick, red liquid and form a ball. She only noticed when the ball started glowing. But by then, it was too late.

"**Metal Style: Mercury Bomb**!"

When Keiko unleashed her jutsu, the red orb exploded, rocketing Kasumi straight out of the cage. The Mist kunoichi landed on the moss, which was springy enough to cushion her fall. She slowly stood up, revealing that her clothes were merely singed, instead of completely charred like they aught to be.

"Nice one." Kasumi admitted as she found Keiko about twenty yards away. "If it hadn't been for my **Water Style Armor**, I might have died. Now then, let's say we _really _get this party started."

She held her sword out in front of her and focused her chakra into the blade. This caused the blade of her sword to take on a black sheen with strange silver runes etched all over it. Realizing this was becoming a Kenjutsu battle, Keiko drew her own weapon from her back. All of the visitors were shocked to see Keiko's sword. As with Naruto's, it had a simple black handle and cross-guard. The blade however was made of a single blue sapphire that looked like it had formed into the shape of a blade. There were no cuts or tool-marks anywhere.

"Your **Water Style Armor** isn't normal, is it?" Keiko assumed. "Normal water would have evaporated when the **Mercury Bomb** went off. So I'm guessing that you have a Kekkai Genkai that made your armor stronger. In addition, those **Water Fangs** put a lot of pressure on my **Steel Curtains**. Since ice isn't that malleable, your bloodline increases the density of the water to a near-solid state. Am I close?"

"What?" Kasumi questioned, startled.

"Impressive." Mei observed from the Kages' position not far away. "To be able to understand her bloodline that quickly is remarkable."

"That's Keiko for you." Naruto explained. "She's an incredible analyst. That's why she's such a successful Academy teacher."

"Where did that blade come from?" Tsunade questioned. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Nor have I, Hokage-sama." Onoki agreed. "But I'm sure our friend the Tetsukage won't be telling us."

"Unfortunately, you're correct, Tsuchikage-sama." Naruto confirmed. "That is one of our deepest Village secrets."

As they were talking, Kasumi and Keiko both started to size up their opponent to get an idea of their fighting style. Since neither was successful, they both decided to just try it out. As if by some unseen signal, the two kunoichi rocketed towards each other and began a furious Kenjutsu match.

Kasumi started with a diagonal slash aimed at Keiko's left shoulder. Keiko parried before making a similar attack at Kasumi's right shoulder. The Mist kunoichi leaned backwards to dodge and performed a thrust as she came back forward. Keiko side-steeped the thrust and brought her blade down on top of Kasumi's. Kasumi utilized the downward momentum by pushing off of the ground and flipping over Keiko's head. When she landed, she pivoted and made a slash aimed at Keiko's back. Keiko brought her sword over her head to block before making a 180-degree turn while making another downward slash. Kasumi brought her blade up and parried, locking the two swordswomen together. As Keiko struggled to overpower Kasumi, she felt something cold moving up her arms. She looked down to see water covering her arms, hands, and sword.

"Gotcha." Kasumi told her with a smirk. "If you even twitch, I'll crush your arms."

"That would be more threatening if I couldn't do this." Keiko responded with a smirk of her own.

Kasumi wondered what her opponent was talking about. Then she saw what was happening. Before her very eyes, Kasumi's water started evaporating.

"The reason I'm called the 'Wave Breaker'," Keiko explained, "is because my Kekkai Genkai gives me control over the elements of Water and Lightning. And when I run some of that lightning through my arms, I can heat the water to its boiling point; no matter how dense it is. And you wanna know the best part?"

"What's that?" Kasumi asked, frustrated.

"We're connected by our blades."

Kasumi's eyes widened in realization of what Keiko had just said. The Tetsu kunoichi sent two jolts of electricity through her hands, across her blade, and over Kasumi's. The raven-haired girl screamed as the electricity flooded her body before she fell over, paralyzed.

"Winner: Keiko Aoihana." Mei conceded.

"Great match." Keiko said as she removed the paralysis and helped Kasumi to her feet.

"Thanks." Kasumi told her. "That was a lot of fun."

"Alright, let's continue." Naruto said as the two girls went over to the sidelines. "Your turn, Tsuchikage-sama."

"Very well." Onoki said. "Kitsuchi! Front and center!"

Kitsuchi was a large man with a rather bulbous nose. He had black hair with a red Iwagakure Jonin's uniform. When he arrived at the battle site, Naruto turned to the group of Knights.

"Titanos!" he called. "You're up!" Then he turned to Kitsuchi and said, "Be careful, we don't call him 'Earth Shock'for nothing."

Unfortunately for Iwa, the fight was rather short. Kitsuchi made the mistake of underestimating Titanos' speed. Assuming that such a large man wouldn't move very fast, Kitsuchi was surprised when Titanos clocked him before the Iwa Jonin knew what happened. What made things worse for Kitsuchi was that Titanos' Shōgeki Hadō **(Impact Wave)** Kekkai Genkai allowed him to complement his blows with shockwaves like those of earthquakes. This meant that even when Titanos held back, a light hit was still enough to send Kitsuchi into unconsciousness.

"You've won this one, Tetsukage-sama." Onoki ceded.

After Kitsuchi was healed and woken up by Tsunade, it was Kumo's turn. Their representative was a Jonin named Darui who, like Keiko, possessed the Ranton **(Storm Style)** Kekkai Genkai. He had white hair and dark eyes. His clothing was made up of a black, sleeveless shirt, black pants, black combat boots, and a white, one-strap-over-one-shoulder Flak Jacket. On his right and left shoulders were tattoos with the kanji for Water and Lightning respectively. His opponent was to be Kazo Sutomu, whom Naruto referred to as the Wild Tornado.

"This is gonna be a blast!" Kazo exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah." Darui responded. "Let's get it over with."

"I hope you'll wake-up when the fight starts or this won't last long." Kazo told him.

Meanwhile, Team Guy was getting excited to see Kazo use his Tāgettogan. Lee and Guy were also fired up about how energetic Kazo was.

"Your brother is most youthful, Tenten-chan!" Lee proclaimed. This surprised everyone else from Konoha. Tenten sighed in frustration.

"Kazo is your brother?" Ino asked, surprised.

"Yes, the knucklehead is my twin." Tenten told them. "And yes, Rokuro-sama is my father."

Back at the battle site, Ē **(I'm using his Japanese name because A is too confusing to me)** gave the two fighters the command to begin. Surprisingly, Darui made the first move.

"**Storm Style: Blast Wave**!"

An electrified wave of water formed and rushed towards Kazo, who began to use handseals for his own jutsu.

"**Wind Style: Divine Downcurrent**!"

A fierce wind slammed into the wave with enough force to cause a collapse. As the water and lightning were absorbed by the moss, Kazo looked around for the missing Darui.

"Terrific." Kazo muttered. "It figures that when he starts moving, he can move really fast. Oh well, time for the **Tāgettogan**!"

As the Sutomu clan's dojutsu formed in his eyes, Neji's own dojutsu formed to study the Tāgettogan. What he saw surprised him.

"Tenten-san?" he questioned the brunette.

"What is it, Neji?" she responded.

"Is his Tāgettogan red?"

"Yes it is." she confirmed. "The color of the Tāgettogan's lens depends on which version is being used. For example, Kazo is currently using an Infrared version to search out Darui. The blue one you saw earlier was the basic combat version."

As Tenten was finishing her explanation, Kazo finally located Darui. Unfortunately, he found him just as the Kumo Jonin was about to run him through with a katana.

"Whoa!" Kazo exclaimed as he sidestepped at the last second. His Tāgettogan switched to the normal blue form as he started dodging Darui's relentless attacks. One attack managed to graze his cheek and as the blood started leaking out; Kazo finally found the opening he was waiting for. He got to draw his sword.

Like Keiko's weapon, Kazo's blade was a simple black hilt with a jewel for a blade. Kazo's however, was an emerald. The match began to turn into a furious duel as the two swordsmen each tried to find an opening. Kazo was surprised that Darui was keeping up with him, until he noticed the electricity running through the lazy Jonin's body. After five minutes of continuous fighting, the two broke away to catch their breath. Then, just as they were about to continue, they were interrupted by the Raikage.

"I've seen enough!" he shouted to the swordsmen. "Anybody that can keep up with Darui like that has earned my respect."

"Alright, man." Darui responded while returning his katana to its sheath.

"Aw, that blows." Kazo complained as he deactivated his Kekkai Genkai and returned his sword to its proper place.

While the two combatants returned to the sidelines, Naruto turned to Tsunade.

"Shall we properly reunite the Hatake family?" he asked.

"Works for me." Tsunade responded. "Kakashi! Your turn!"

"Let's go, Ryu!" Naruto called.

The two shinobi made their way over to the battlefield. Apart from the silver hair, the two didn't look very similar. But if you were to meet their gaze, you would see the trademark Hatake focus that made their family such an intimidating one. On the outside they were calm and collected, but on the inside, they were both anxious to begin their battle. Tsunade stepped forward to stand between them and held her hand out in front of her.

"Kakashi Hatake versus Ryu Hatake. Fight!" she exclaimed as she brought the hand down and got out of the way.

As soon as the order was given, the two men clashed with kunai. It was the first time a Tetsu kunai was seen and it was a remarkable one. The blade was shaped like a normal kunai, but the edges were serrated. The main difference was the end. Rather than the usual ring of metal, there was a set of four short prongs sticking out from the handle, forming a deadly thrusting weapon if the kunai was held in a reverse grip.

"How do you make kunai like that?" Kiba asked Tenten.

"Only the Tetsu forges can make them because you need to be able to manipulate the metal with your chakra." she explained.

As Tenten was giving her explanation, Kakashi found out another trait of the Tetsu kunai. They were great conductors for elemental chakra. The Jonin watched his own kunai get sliced clean through after Ryu's was ignited with fire. Kakashi had to leap away as Ryu aimed a slash at his uncle's chest. As Kakashi flew back, he came up with a strategy.

"_If he uses Fire-type attacks, I need to hit him with water._" he thought to himself. "_And after that first fight, there's a good bit of water in this moss. Perhaps I can bring it back out._"

Deciding to give it a shot, Kakashi started a familiar string of forty-two hand seals at high speed.

"**Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu**!"

Kakashi's plan worked as he had hoped: the moss gave up its water as the dragon took shape before blasting off towards Ryu, who was forming his own hand seals.

"**Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu**!"

A large fire dragon formed and raced to meet its watery counterpart. As the attacks slammed into each other, they formed an enormous cloud of steam. Kakashi, assuming that this would soon turn into a high-speed fight, reached up and unveiled his Sharingan. The steam cloud made it impossible to see Ryu, but he was able to make out the shape of his nephew once again forming hand seals. Kakashi tensed up in anticipation of the attack, but he was still caught completely off-guard when the steam began moving towards Ryu.

"**Steam Style: Scalding Dragon**!"

The steam condensed and formed an enormous dragon with bright red eyes as opposed to the water dragon's yellow ones. Kakashi cursed as the dragon suddenly took off towards him and would have killed him if he hadn't moved at the last second. Deciding that Fire wasn't going to cut it anymore, Kakashi started to gather Lightning chakra in his hand to use his **Lightning Beast Running Jutsu**. He was perplexed when he felt the Lightning chakra leave his hand and flow to his left. He turned and saw the lightning being absorbed by a short metal pole that was stuck in the ground.

"I see you've found my **Metal Style: Lightning Rod**." Ryu called over to him. "It's a very useful technique when fighting someone with Lightning Style techniques. Naruto-sama developed it for Sasuke Uchiha, but I think it works fairly well on you too."

"Well, I guess its back to Taijutsu." Kakashi sighed.

He launched from his spot towards Ryu. The younger man charged to meet his uncle and the two began a series of furious melee attacks. It was an incredible sight. As Ryu would attack, Kakashi would make the correct parry and counter. This counter would then be blocked by Ryu, who would begin the cycle all over again. Neither one was landing any hits, but they were both beginning to tire out. Running out of options, Kakashi leapt back and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Ryu became wary as he watched the three tomoes swirl into the pinwheel pattern.

"Taking it to the next level?" Ryu questioned. "Fine. You asked for it."

All of a sudden, fire erupted from Ryu's hands. Kakashi prepared himself for an attack, but no attack came. Instead, the fire began to cover Ryu's hands, then his arms, and eventually his whole body. Kakashi couldn't see Ryu's eyes. There were only two bright red glows where his eyes were. When Ryu opened his mouth to speak, the inside cavity was a fiery, white inferno.

"This is the true power of my Kekkai Genkai, and the reason I'm called the Blaze Runner." Ryu told him.

Before Kakashi could react, Ryu was in front of him with his arm cocked back. Not even the Mangekyo could completely track the Knight. Kakashi couldn't even hope to block before Ryu slugged him in the chest. The searing hot pain devastated Kakashi as he flew across the cavern before bouncing to a stop on the moss.

Before he could get up, Ryu was on his uncle again. Kakashi had to roll out of the way as an ax kick slammed into the moss next to him. Kakashi leapt and flipped backwards to give himself some distance before taking a second to think.

"_Elemental jutsu and taijutsu are out._" he admitted. "_A kenjutsu fight will kill me and I doubt he'll stand still long enough for Kamui. My only other option is Genjutsu, but I don't have enough chakra to hold him long. Guess I've only got one choice_."

"I yield!" Kakashi announced, surprising everyone.

"What, why?" Ryu demanded as the flames dissipated.

"Because I can't come up with any form of strategy right now." Kakashi responded. "A good shinobi needs to know when to withdraw and send for back-up. If this was a real battle, that time would be now."

"Winner: Ryu Hatake!" Tsunade proclaimed. She was disappointed that Kakashi lost, but she was proud of his decision.

"Well that was a great match!" Naruto exclaimed. "I can't wait for the next one!"

Just as Tsunade turned to call Neji over, a siren started to wail and the spotlights turned red.

"What's happening?" Mei questioned when she saw Naruto clench his fists.

"Emergency." he answered. "A bad one. We'll have to finish this later."

Before anyone else could say anything, the Tetsukage was on his disc and racing towards the exit with his Knights closely following behind.

**A/N: I know I have to do this a lot, but sorry that this took so long. My computer is going AWOL and it's hard to get things to work right. That, and I wanted to make sure this one was done right. I'm going to do my absolute best to update both this and **_**The Fox and the Liger**_** in time for Christmas. In addition, I plan on throwing in a special treat as an apology for this taking so long to be updated. I do want to know one thing from all of you loyal readers: of the five **_**original**_** Iron Knights (Naruto and Tenten excluded) which one is your favorite? Thanks for your continued support, and have a happy Thanksgiving!**

**Here is a guide to this chapter's Saberdragon-original jutsu: **

**[Name - Type - User(s) - Description]**

**Metal Style: Steel Curtain Cage – Ninjutsu – Aforementioned Users of Steel Curtain – Defensive variation of the [Metal Style: Steel Curtain] that creates four Steel Curtains in a cage-like barrier around the user**

**Metal Style: Mercury Bomb – Ninjutsu – Naruto Namikaze; Keiko Aoihana – User converts water into mercury and forms it into a sphere. The sphere can then be detonated in a very devastating blast**

**Water Style Armor – Ninjutsu – Kasumi Hōseki – Water Style version of A's Lightning Style Armor; Covers body in a thin layer of water; Kasumi's version can be amplified by her Kekkai Genkai**

**Storm Style: Blast Wave – Ninjutsu – Darui – Darui's Kekkai Genkai allows him to create an electrified wave of water; size of wave depends on the amount of chakra**

**Steam Style: Scalding Dragon – Ninjutsu – Ryu Hatake – Ryu's Kekkai Genkai allows him to utilize steam created by a combination of Fire and Water chakra**

**Metal Style: Lightning Rod – Ninjutsu – Naruto Namikaze; Ryu Hatake – User forms a thin metal rod that is placed in the ground and filled with chakra. The rod then acts as a lightning attractor, rendering Lightning-based attacks useless**

**And here is a guide to the Saberdragon-original Kekkai Genkai: **

**Sutomu Family's Tāgettogan – Increases the reflexes, coordination, and accuracy of its wielder by a factor of three**

**Kasumi's Kōmitsudo-sui – Amplifies Water Style techniques by increasing the density of the water to a near-solid state; Origin of the Second Hokage's Water Style: Hardened Water Drill**

**Titanos' Shōgeki Hadō – Allows user to accentuate melee and melee-weapon attacks with earthquake-like shockwaves**

**Ryu's Perfect Katon – Allows user to perfectly manipulate Fire chakra to the point where he/she can use Fire-based elements such as Lava and Steam as well as form a armor of pure Fire**


	7. Emergency Diversion

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

Recap: _Just as Tsunade turned to call Neji over, a siren started to wail and the spotlights turned red._

"_What's happening?" Mei questioned when she saw Naruto clench his fists._

"_Emergency." he answered. "A bad one. We'll have to finish this later."_

_Before anyone else could say anything, the Tetsukage was on his disc and racing towards the exit with his Knights closely following behind._

When the Gokage and their groups made it back up to the column, they found a Tetsugakure Squire waiting for them.

"Naruto-sama has instructed me to wait for all of you." the man said. "He has requested that only the Gokage and Shikaku Nara follow him to the Seventh Level. I am to take you there."

"Then let's go." Mei told him.

She and the other six stepped aboard the disc waiting on the floor. Moments later, they were disembarking on Level Seven. They followed the Squire into a conference room where they found Naruto, the Knights, the Elders, and a Tetsu shinobi whose rank was unknown to them. Naruto looked up as the six entered and the Squire left. He found that Tsunade was studying the man.

The man appeared to be in his late fifties. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His eyes were a soft brown color. He was wearing a pair of simple blue pants - similar to the standard Jonin wear of Konoha - with a pair of black combat boots that matched the black Tetsugakure headband wrapped around his right bicep. He also wore a dark blue long-sleeved shirt under a dark grey jacket. Tsunade realized it was the Tetsu version of a flak jacket. This jacket was an actual jacket, unlike the "flak jackets" of the Five Great Villages. It was similar in design to the Knights' jackets, which led to her correct assumption that the colors and flames were a way of setting the Knights apart as the Elite.

Naruto looked up as the six entered and the Squire left.

"This is Subarashii Maindo." Naruto introduced the unknown man. "He is Tetsu's Head of Intel. He was just explaining the situation. Would you please fill them in?"

"Yes sir." Subarashii obeyed. He turned to the six newcomers before launching into his explanation:

"Six years ago, a group of five shinobi made an attempt to resurrect the demon Mōryō." the tactician began. "As you may or not be aware, Naruto-sama defeated the fiend with the assistance of the Priestess Lady Shion. Due to the current situation, we now know that the demon was merely subdued, but not destroyed. Our most recent intelligence report, which arrived just minutes ago, tells us that Kabuto Yakushi is making an attempt of his own."

At this point Tsunade interjected. "But the legend says that only one by the name of Yomi can release Mōryō."

"You are quite right, Hokage-sama." Subarashii responded. "However, Kabuto has managed to find away around that. He has become more proficient in the **Impure World Resurrection** than we initially feared."

"He resurrected Yomi, hasn't he?" Tsunade asked gravely.

"Yes, we believe he has." Subarashii answered. "Either that or he has found another Yomi. But chances are, he'll go with the option he's sure will work. In addition, as best as the Intelligence Division can tell, Kabuto has also resurrected a "Foursome", though not the same Foursome as before."

"Do we have any idea who they are or what they're capable of?" Gaara asked. He was one of the few who managed to not get riled up by this news.

"Undetermined." the tactician told him. "In fact, we only know about Yomi because the Terracotta army has already begun its march to the Land of Swamps. This led to our knowledge of Kabuto Yakushi's involvement, since he was the one leading the march at first. We assumed he was looking for something other than Mōryō, otherwise he would have moved ahead of the army, which he now has."

"Where is the Terracotta army now?" Ē questioned.

"Still in the Land of Demons, but not for much longer. However, this gives us a chance to at least stop the army. Kabuto and his underlings are another story, however."

"How do you know its a group of Four?" Mei inquired.

"What many people are unaware of is that the shrine that Mōryō's soul was sealed into has a special seal that can only be unlocked by four shinobi." Naruto told them. "Any less and it won't open; any more and it will kill the extras. So four it is."

"So what's our plan of attack?" Tsunade questioned.

"If I may, Tetsukage-sama?" Shikaku spoke for the first time. When Naruto nodded to him, the Jonin continued. "Right now, Tetsugakure is the only Village capable of taking immediate action. The Five Great Nations are too far away to respond. Even with acting Kage, Konoha is the closest Village to respond and I have a feeling that the Elders will take a defensive action. The Village must be defended after all."

"Much as I hate to admit it, he's right." Ē said. "Kumo and Kiri wouldn't be able to mobilize until it's too late. Suna's military strength isn't quite up to the level is was under the Third Kazekage yet, and Iwa is more of a defense-oriented Village. So that leaves Konoha and Tetsu."

"Is your Village up to the task?" Onoki demanded of Naruto.

"We may not have as much man-power as the Five Great Nations, but we have raw strength in spades." Naruto answered. "I'll contact Mifune-sama to have him help protect the Village. That way, I can lead the Knights myself."

"Do you have a plan of attack in mind?" Mei asked. "

"I think we need to divide this into a two-part strike." the jinchuriki responded. "Titanos and Ryu will lead Tetsu's main forces against the Terracotta army. They are the best suited for that. At the same time, Polaris, Kazo, Keiko, and Tenten will engage the Foursome. That frees me up to take on Kabuto."

"What about Yomi?" Shikaku questioned.

"The last time, he died after releasing Mōryō's soul." Naruto responded. "I don't think that will change."

"We'll send some of our fighters to back up your Knights." Gaara told him. "Temari can aid Kazo-san."

"I'll send Kasumi with Tenten." Mei added.

"Deidana can work with Titanos and Ryu." Onoki said. "Her Kekkai Genkai will provide excellent support for a full-scale assault."

"Darui will help out Keiko." Ē decided. "What a storm they'll be able to create."

"Who would work best with you Polaris?" Tsunade asked. "Any of my ninja are more than ready."

"I will take Hana Nara if she is willing." Polaris replied after a moment's thought.

"I shall accompany you, Naruto-sama." Konan told her commander.

"No, I need you to stay and protect the Village if any threats arise." Naruto told her. "I'll be able to handle Kabuto on my own. It's Mōryō I'm worried about. That's why I want the rest of you to return to your Villages and prepare to defend the world if we fail."

After saying this, he turned to the Raikage.

"Let your brother know I want to see him when this is over." Naruto said.

"Very well, I'll inform his upon our return." Ē told him. "If there is nothing else, then we shall take our leave."

"Go and be swift." Naruto told him. "We don't have much time."

"Good luck." Mei told the Knights before leaving.

The other Kage and the two Tacticians left as well, leaving only the nine Knights.

"We better get moving." Naruto said to the group. "Titanos, I want you to assemble all Squires, Medics, and Tacticians. Ryu, take all of the Pages and inform the civilians of what's happening. When both of your are done, leave for Fire Country and go as fast as you can. As it is, you're about a day's travel from the Army if you go at full speed. Konan, I want you to contact Mifune-sama and tell him what's going on. The rest of you: we leave now."

**A/N: I'm really sorry about how short this one is, but I needed a bridge chapter. I promise that I will never write a chapter this short again. On a positive note, I want to inform you all that I ****am planning the first companion story for **_**Iron Shadow**_**. **_**Tetsugakure's Snowstorm**_** is an origin story one-shot for Polaris Kori. It will explain in greater detail the circumstances of her parents' death, as well as how she met Naruto and became so close to him. I hope that you will all enjoy it and perhaps will come to like Polaris more. In the future, I'll be writing origin stories for the other four original Knights, but all in due time. **

**On a side note, I realized that I made another error. I never did explain how the visitors know what rank the different Tetsu shinobi are. When I get the chance, I will add that in to one of the earlier chapters, but I'll explain it for you all now.**

**Academy Students – No headband; No Special Clothing**

**Trainee/Genin – Headband; No Special Clothing**

**Page/Chunin – Headband; Dark Grey Vest**

**Squire/Jonin; Tactician; Medic – Headband; Dark Grey Flak Jacket; Red Cross on Shoulder for Medics**

**Iron Knight; Elder – Headband; Special Colored Jacket**

**Thanks for reading **_**Iron Shadow**_** and have a Happy Holiday!**


	8. The Army and the Foursome

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise**

Recap:_"We better get moving." Naruto said to the group. "Titanos, I want you to assemble all Squires, Medics, and Tacticians. Ryu, take all of the Pages and inform the civilians of what's happening. When both of your are done, leave for Fire Country and go as fast as you can. As it is, you're about a day's travel from the Army if you go at full speed. Konan, I want you to contact Mifune-sama and tell him what's going on. The rest of you: we leave now."_

Titanos and Ryu observed the stone-soldier army marching beneath them, on the valley floor. Behind them were over a dozen Tetsu Pages and Squires with a pair of Medics and a Tactician, all illuminated by the moonlight.

"How do you want to go about this, Titanos?" Ryu questioned.

"I personally think we should just jump down and start wrecking the lot of them, but we need to make sure they're destroyed for good this time." Titanos responded. Just then they were joined by the Kunoichi from Iwa, Deidana.

She was a tall, slender, blonde Kunoichi with silvery-blue eyes. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, but her bangs framed her face. She was dressed in a pair of black pants that had leather padding around the knees, like a pair of medical braces. For a top, she wore a black tank-top over what appeared to be a mesh shirt but what was really a chain mail shirt. On her feet were a pair of heavy duty black combat boots and her belt was fastened by an Iwagakure plate.

"You look just like your brother." Titanos told her as she knelt down next to them.

"Deidara was a fool for leaving the Village and getting himself killed." Deidana told them in a feminine voice that contrasted the masculinity of her apparel.

"Well, what's your opinion about our course of action?" Ryu asked her.

"From what I've read from the mission report of the last Terracotta march, we're not going to be able to simply bury them or pulverize them." Deidana began. "My assumption is that these are the same soldiers as last time because they don't look even remotely fresh. In fact, some of them look like they were previously destroyed and put back together."

Titanos and Ryu looked more closely and saw narrow cracks on several dozen of the stone soldiers, thereby supporting Deidana's assumption.

"Impressive." Titanos told the Iwa Kunoichi. "You have excellent deduction skills. So if these are in fact the same soldiers, then there is some way to repair them."

"And if that's the case, then we have to completely disintegrate them." Ryu concluded. "This brings us back to the original point: what are we going to do?"

"Alright, let's go over what we can use." Deidana said as she started writing in the dirt with a kunai. "The two of you have the **Shōgeki Hadō **and the **Perfect Katon**. As for me, I have my **Bakuton **Kekkai Genkai. So the problem isn't with taking them apart, it's with keeping them apart."

"What if we blow them apart and sink them into lava?" Ryu suggested. "If they went into the lava intact, there might be someway to get them out, so we'll need to make sure they're in pieces. Then we'll turn the floor of the valley into lava and make sure every single piece goes in."

"Sounds good." Deidana commented. "Titanos and I can lead your heavy hitters in breaking the soldiers apart. Then Ryu, you and any **Katon** users you have can handle the lava. Finally, any **Futon** users you have can blow all of the pieces into the lava."

"Good plan." Titanos said when she finished. "Let's put it into action before they cause any more damage."

* * *

As Titanos, Ryu, and Deidana made their plans, Keiko and Darui made their way to the western shrine of the sealing temple. This was something that hadn't been an issue during Mōryō's last resurrection attempt. In an ideal scenario, the Four Servants of Yomi would each take a position at one of four shrines located a kilometer from the temple. These shrines were created to produce a barrier around the Sealing Temple. Once Mōryō was returned to his body, this barrier would shield the demon from detection as he regained his full power.

As the two reached the shrine, they found a lone shinobi awaiting them. However, it was someone Keiko had never expected to fight.

"N-no way." Keiko sputtered in shock.

The shinobi before them was an older man, but his hair was a solid shade of red and was tied up in a knot. This hair also formed sideburns that lead into a red beard. He was wearing a long sleeved purple shirt that matched his purple pants. Over this, he was wearing a set of brown ANBU-style armor, specifically the chest plate, back plate, and leg armor. On his head was a brown headpiece that gave the appearance of three horns. This headpiece came down along his sideburns and was connected to a black piece of armor that went across his face, covering the bridge of his nose. This headpiece also featured an Iwagakure plate.

"Who's this cat?" Darui questioned to his partner.

"A better question would be 'who's this monkey?'." Keiko responded. "That's Rōshi, former Jinchuriki of the Four-Tailed Primate."

Darui's eyes widened in shock.

"I recognize him now!" the Kumo-nin exclaimed. "He's the lava one, right?"

"Yeah." his partner answered. "Which means we have a dangerous fight on our hands."

Rōshi said nothing during this exchange, simply staring at the two with lifeless black eyes.

"So how are we going to handle this?" the Kumo Jonin asked of his temporary partner.

"From what we know of the **Impure World Resurrection**, there are only three ways to destroy the resurrected. The first way is to kill the one who used the technique, which is what Naruto-sama will be doing. The second way is to remove the soul through the **Reaper Death Seal**. However, I'm pretty certain you're not too fond of that idea."

"Nope, can't say that I am."

"Neither am I. Which brings us to the third way, which at this point is only theoretical."

"And that is…"

"Complete disintegration of the body."

"I vote for the third one." Darui decided.

"Me too, 'cause there's now telling how long it'll take for Naruto-sama to deal with Kabuto."

"What'd you mean? You're usually pretty confident of his abilities."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I know he'll kill the little slime. The only thing is that I don't know what Kabuto is going to use to slow…"

At this point, Keiko and Darui found out that Rōshi was through with waiting. A large stream of lava rushed towards them, barely missing the two as they leapt backwards.

"You know, it's really unproper to interupt a lady when she's talking." Keiko said as she glared at the undead Jinchuriki.

"I don't think he cares too much about that, Keiko-san." Darui observed as another glob of lava was launched.

"Well then, I guess he'll have to be taught his manners." Keiko said as she drew her sword. "In the afterlife that is."

* * *

As Keiko and Darui tried to avoid Rōshi's lava, Tenten and Kasumi had to deal with their own problem: steam.

"You know, I've always heard stories about the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki," Kasumi mentioned when the two kunoichi finally got a chance to catch their breath, "but Han is a lot more powerful than I expected.

Next to her, Tenten stood in a defensive kenjutsu stance. Her blade was made out of a solid pearl that was seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"I have to say, this is an interesting fight." Tenten agreed. "Unfortunately we have to stop messing around and go help Naruto-ku.. I mean –san!"

Despite Tenten's quick recovery, Kasumi caught on to the brunette's slip.

"Naruto-kun?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow as Tenten's face reddened. "Well, well. It seems that Tetsugakure's White Jolt has a thing going on with…"

Suddenly Kasumi had to gulp as she found Tenten's blade leveled at her throat.

"Tell anyone of this and you won't make it back to Kiri." Tenten threatened with an icy glare. "Understood?"

* * *

"**Metal Style: Iron Rain**!"

"**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough**!"

Temari's Wind technique created a large gust of wind that sent the thousands of small iron pellets – created by Kazo's technique – towards their opponent at a very high rate of speed. Their target was the former Jinchuriki of the Three-Tailed Turtle, Yagura of the Mist. Said target was shredded by the pellets, but the remains soon reverted back into water.

As the Suna Kunoichi and her partner searched for their adversary, Temari noticed the fluorescent green shade of Kazo's **Tāgettogan**.

"Night Vision." Kazo explained when he saw Temari's questioning look. "Great for this kind of night fighting."

This fact was proven when Kazo unsheathed his sword just in time to block a strike from Yagura's staff.

"I'm beginning to hate this guy." Kazo said as he struggled to hold off the deceased Mizukage.

* * *

The last of the Foursome was giving Polaris and Hana just as hard a time as the rest. He, like the others, was a revived Jinchuriki. They were fighting Utakata, the former Jinchuriki of the Six-Tailed Slug.

The two Kunoichi (and Hana's three canines) were currently taking cover from a hail of acidic bubbles. In fact, the bubbles were proving powerful enough to melt Polaris's hastily constructed wall of ice.

"So, any ideas?" Hana questioned of her partner.

"Not a one." Polaris responded. "How about you?"

"Same."

"Well then, I guess there's only one thing to do."

"What's that?" Hana asked, uncertain about the smirk on Polaris's face.

"We make it up as we go."

Hana barely had time to utter a "Huh?" before Polaris was diving out from behind the rapidly melting wall, launching a jutsu as she went.

"**Ice Style: Kunai Blizzard**!"

As she completed the technique,dozens of kunai-shaped icicles formed in the air before launching at Utakata. This caused the stream of bubbles to cease and allowed Hana to move out and join Polaris.

This was the start of a routine. Utakata would attack with bubbles. Polaris would then defend with an ice wall, and then reciprocate with her ice kunai. After a few minutes of this, Hana stopped Polaris from countering.

"This is getting us nowhere." Hana told the Knight. "All we're doing is wasting our time and chakra."

"I'm hoping this means you have a plan then." Polaris responded.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

* * *

While the rest of the Knights battled the undead Jinchuriki, Titanos, Deidana, and several Tetsu Jonin launched their assault against the Terracotta Army.

"**Explosion Style: Columns of Carnage**!"

"**Shōgeki Hadō: Burst Wave**!"

The first of these two techniques, launched by Deidana, caused several dozen columns of earth to rise from the ground in the midst of the Terracotta soldiers. As soon as these columns reached a height of about five feet, they simultaneously exploded, shattering any soldier trapped in the blast radius.

After Deidana's attack broke apart the soldiers, Titanos' attack created a shockwave through the air which further broke apart the stone pieces.

"Alright everyone!" Titanos called to rally the Tetsugakure troops. "I want you each to go over these soldiers as quick as you can while still being thorough. Make sure there are no pieces bigger than your head and if there are, break them apart. Report any evidence that the soldiers are reforming."

As the soldiers were broken apart, Ryu lead a small group of **Katon** users down the valley about ten yards from the closest soldier.

"Okay gang, here's what we're going to do." Ryu addressed his group. "I need you to concentrate your strongest **Katon** technique in one area. We're looking to create a pool of lava twenty feet by forty feet and about fifteen feet deep."

At Ryu's command, the dozen or so Tetsugakure shinobi illuminated the whole valley with streams of fire directed at the ground before them. After twenty minutes of alternating streams of fire, the lava pit was ready and Ryu's group rejoined the main force. Finally, the last part of the plan was ready.

As everyone else moved behind the remains of the stone soldiers, two Tetsu Jonin stepped forward. They were twins, one male, one female, and their raven-black hair barely reflected any of the moonlight. They raised their hands in unison before forming the same chain of six hand seals.

"**Wind Style: Gale-Force Wave**!"

A large blast of air swept across the valley, made even more powerful by the geography of the area. This technique swept all of the pieces of stone up and sent them tumbling into the lava pit, where they promptly sank.

"Great work everyone!" Ryu praised. "Now let's go support our Tetsukage!"

* * *

The success of Ryu and Titanos soon spread to their fellow Knights.

"**Metal Style: Steel Curtain Cage**!"

Keiko's signature defensive attack rose up and surrounded Rōshi. But before the Jinchuriki could use his lava to escape, Darui added in his part of the attack.

"**Storm Style: Voltic Microburst**!"

A pillar of air surrounding an enourmous lightning bolt rocketed down from the sky and slammed into Rōshi, the steel walls of his cage barely containing the blast. The previously cloudy sky, made overcast by an earlier **Suiton** technique, returned to its clear, moonlit state.

As Keiko lowered the walls of the cage, the two could see that there was literally nothing left of Rōshi.

"I guess your theory was right." Darui said to Keiko before passing out due to chakra-exhaustion. Keiko was left to start carrying the Jonin back towards the rendezvous point.

* * *

"**Water Style: Tidal Shackles**!"

When Kasumi finished her technique, six streams of water shot up from the pool of water created by the numerous **Suiton** techniques from earlier. These streams of water wrapped around Han's arms, legs, torso, and neck.

"Hit him now, Tenten!" Kasumi told her partner. "This won't hold him for long."

"Will do." Tenten responded. "**Metal Style: Silver Spear**!"

A bright, metallic spear of metal formed from the ground, before being launched at Han. As soon as the spear impaled the Jinchuriki in the head, Tenten used her follow-up technique.

"**Lightning Style: Disintegration**!"

This caused several dozen lightning bolts to erupt from Tenten's fingertips and stream to the spear. Kasumi had to shield her eyes from the bright light, but an amber **Tāgettogan **shaded Tenten's eyes.

"It's okay, Kasumi." Tenten told the Swordswoman. "He's gone."

Kasumi looked back and saw that the only thing left was a blackened spear.

"Well, now that that's over," Kasumi began as she came up next to the exhausted Tenten, "let's chit-chat about 'Naruto-kun', shall we?"

Tenten only had enough energy to groan as her head slumped in defeat.

* * *

"Can you get him into the air?" Kazo asked his Suna companion.

"I think I might be able to manage that." Temari replied. "But you better not miss, 'cause this is all I got left."

"I won't." Kazo replied, eyes blue from his **Tāgettogan**. "Now go!"

"Alright." Temari responded. "**Wind Style: Tornado**!"

A wild cyclone rose up around Yagura and lifted him high into the air. As the former Mizukage reoriented himself and prepared a **Suiton **technique, Kazo launched his own assault.

"**Metal Style: Death Spiral**!"

Kazo began rapidly spinning in place, creating a dome of chakra around his body. Temari was shocked at how similar it looked to the mighty **Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation** of the Hyuga clan. However, Kazo made the technique even more lethal when a stream of liquid metal rose up from the ground and began spiraling around the dome of chakra. Then Kazo entered the final phase of the technique. He launched himself from the ground with an enormous burst of chakra, propelling straight at the falling Jinchuriki. A red mist was created as the spinning Kazo tore right through Yagura. The Tetsu Knight landed about twenty yards away from Temari, but she was still able to catch him as he lost consciousness and collapsed.

* * *

"**Water Style: Water Dragon Blast**!" Polaris shouted.

Her technique brought forth a large dragon made from water. This dragon raced through the forest and slammed into Utakata. It barely affected the Jinchuriki, but that wasn't the point.

"That should be plenty of water." Hana observed as she and her three dogs prepared to attack. "Now you just need to freeze him."

"Right, but first I'll have to stall him." Polaris told her partner before forming hand signs. "**Metal Style: Buzz Saw**!"

This technique formed a large saw blade out of the metal buried ground. Polaris used her chakra to spin the blade to a very high speed before launching it at Utakata. As the Bubble-user was sliced clean in half, Polaris dashed forward and placed her hands on the large pool of water that the Jinchuriki fell into. As soon as Utakata reformed and stood up, Polaris unleashed her Kekkai Genkai.

"**Ice Style: Flash Freeze**!"

As it had so many years ago with Akuno Suraimu, the technique froze its victim in a solid block of ice. This done, Polaris leapt backward as Hana and the dogs fulfilled their part of the plan.

"**Four Point Fang Over Fang**!"

The Inuzuka and her companions tore through the ice and the reanimated corpse within, creating a shower of ice shards.

As Hana walked over to Polaris, both Kunoichi breathing heavily from the battle, Polaris grinned at her partner and addressed her.

"Good plan."

**A/N: You all probably hear this a lot, but I'm really sorry this took so long to produce. I've been very busy and stressed out as of late, and haven't really had a chance to work on this. So, I'll keep this brief since you're all probably mad at me. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think, not only of my story, but also of the addition of Deidara's twin sister, Deidana!**

**Here is a guide to this chapter's Saberdragon-original jutsu (there's quite a few): **

**[Name - Type - User(s) - Description]**

Metal Style: Iron Rain – Ninjutsu – Kazo Sutomu – This technique creates small pellets made of whatever metal the user pulls from the ground. These pellets can then be launched in a hail-storm of flying metal

Ice Style: Kunai Blizzard – Ninjutsu – Polaris Kori – This technique creates kunai made out of ice, which are then launched at their target

Explosion Style: Columns of Carnage – Ninjutsu – Deidana – This technique causes several pillars of stone to rise up from the ground and then explode, causing severe damage to nearby objects and persons

Shōgeki Hadō: Burst Wave – Ninjutsu – Titanos Chikyu – This technique utilizes Titanos' Kekkai Genkai to create a large shockwave that tears across the landscape. The power depends on Titanos' intent

Wind Style: Gale-Force Wave – Collaboration Ninjutsu – Unnamed Tetsugakure Squires – This technique is a larger and more powerful version of the **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough**

Storm Style: Voltic Microburst – Ninjutsu – Darui – This technique causes a lightning bolt encased in a column of wind to slam descend onto and slam into an enemy from above. This technique is very taxing on its user's chakra reserves

Water Style: Tidal Shackles – Ninjutsu – Kasumi Hōseki – This technique creates streams of dense water that bind the target's limbs, neck, and torso

Lightning Style: Disintegration – Ninjutsu – Tenten Sutomu – This technique launches dozens of lightning bolts from the user's fingertips at the target. This technique is very taxing on its user's chakra reserves and is best used in conjunction with a **Metal Style **technique that can act as a lightning conductor

Wind Style: Tornado – Ninjutsu – Temari – This technique creates a simple whirlwind that can be used to launch the target into the air

Metal Style: Death Spiral – Ninjutsu – Naruto Namikaze; Kazo Sutomu – User spins in place rapidly similar to the Hyuga's **Rotation** while creating a tornado of liquid metal to surround their body before user launches himself or herself toward the target in a manner similar to the Inuzuka's **Fang Over Fang**

Metal Style: Buzz Saw – Ninjutsu – Naruto Namikaze; Polaris Kori – User forms a disc of metal before using chakra to rotate it at a very high rate of speed. The blade can be thrown, or held to attack or defend

Four Point Fang Over Fang – Ninjutsu – Hana Nara – This technique is a four-unit version of the Inuzuka's signature **Fang Over Fang **technique


End file.
